Saw something strange below Orion's Belt this morning.

No it was not that.

On topic, so it was about 5:05ish this morning here in central Ohio, US, half hour south of Columbus. I walked out on my deck, on my way to work, and I have a habit of checking out the stars when available. They are quite beautiful that time of morning, weather permitting.

I was checking out Orion when I seen a lightish blue pulse/flash of light, below his belt between his legs just to the right of the tip of the sword hilt. Below is an image mock up of about the general location.

The nature of the light was similar to a plane navigation light. Intensity, pulse rate, look of the light reminded me of a nav light on aircraft and my immediate thought was that it was a plane. Only problem though is it was only one pulse and I didn't see it again. I stood there for a good 10 minutes and didn't see it again anywhere.

Anyway, I thought it was cool and warranted mentioning here in case I wasn't the only one to see something like this.

Have a good day ATS.

Mock up made with MS Paint.

a reply to: SgtHamsandwich
Doesn't sound like any kind of orbiting satellite or the ISS.

My guess that it was something in the atmosphere, and could have been either an aircraft that didn't have any lights on, or some kind of rare electrical discharge in the upper atmosphere.

Check again tomorrow morning at the same time. If it's a satellite she will be back.
I witnessed something similar a few years ago in the big dipper. One star suddenly appear, grow in magnitude then fade out 3 nights running at the same time. 22:25 give or take.

Hmm that's interesting because I was out driving this morning and around 4:05 est. I saw one blue flash of light, but it was in the southern sky. I waited too and kept watching for a couple minutes too see what it was. I saw it when I had pulled over to move some papers from my backseat to front seat for work. Was just coming back around the car when I saw it.

I was out in very dark country so no city lights at all, so it really stood out

a reply to: SgtHamsandwich

I've seen something similar tonight!

The one I've seen was in Ursa Major, right next to Megrez, at about 22h (New York time).

I too initially thought of a plane, or perhaps even a satellite, but the thing only flashed once.

a reply to: Soloprotocol

Satellites usually gradually build up in luminosity and then fade away relatively slowly. I see those all the time.

The thing I've seen made a single pulse of light. A single flash.

Maybe it was the solar panels of a satellite rotating on itself - the panels would only reflect the sunlight back at me at a precise moment. As the satellite continues on its trajectory, the next earth-ward reflection will hit just off of my location, and the flsh wouldn't repeat.

That's the best theory I've got.

a reply to: SgtHamsandwich

Prepare to be unimpressed!

5:05am? I wonder if it was an unlikely sunlight reflection off a satellite component?

People see things in the night sky that might never be explained despite our best, and worst, intentions. That's about where I stand on things these days. Yes, I believe you. No, I don't know what you saw. No, I won't force-fit an explanation and can live with it being unexplained.

Friends and I saw something in the mid-90s when we were looking out for the Mir passing over. What we saw makes less and less sense as I grow older to the point where I even doubt we saw it.

a reply to: SgtHamsandwich
Yep seen it many times, except when I see them it flashes more than once, sometimes it flashes anywhere between 1 to 5 times but, what's weird is when it flashes its never moving. I've seen it in multiple locations in the night sky, but never moving. The flashes aren't timed in anyway I could tell, just sporadic. I'm pretty sure it's not an iridium satellite, they don't really flash its more like it gradually gets really bright and then phases out gradually.


Peace.

a reply to: Lichter daraus

It stays still?!

That's weird. Geosynchronous satellite, perhaps?

a reply to: Kandinsky

Yeah I don't feel it's ET related hence why I posted in this forum as opposed to the Aliens and UFO's.

My best guess is in line with either satellite related or upper atmosphere, something natural.

originally posted by: swanne
a reply to: Soloprotocol


Maybe it was the solar panels of a satellite rotating on itself

Very interesting.
On the night of August 16 I saw for 1-2 minutes something that was moving in the night sky (in Europe) and at intervals it made a very bright white flash.(one of the flashes was really bright)
It didn't 'burn down" and it continued to travel until I could no longer see it because the sky was beginning to light up..it was almost sunrise.

I have been searching on the internet for an explanation but I have no idea what that was and I saw your comment and I was thinking of the same thing.
(stupid question)-Is it possible for a satellite to reflect light when it's rotating ?

originally posted by: SgtHamsandwich
a reply to: Kandinsky

Yeah I don't feel it's ET related hence why I posted in this forum as opposed to the Aliens and UFO's.

My best guess is in line with either satellite related or upper atmosphere, something natural.

Right way to go imo

originally posted by: saudi
Is it possible for a satellite to reflect light when it's rotating ?

Yeah. Sunlight will bounce off any surface, as long as the surface is reflective enough. The direction of the reflection is also a variable.

Normal satellites will make a light that smoothly fade in and out. That's caused by the satellite entering sunlight above the Earth and then leaving it. Some other satellites kind of oscillate - they slowly become bright, dark, bright, dark, etc - that's because their components are rotating, and just like a rotating mirror the reflection reaches you, then doesn't, then does, etc.

a reply to: swanne

Thank you.
I was thinking it might be a satellite.

The object you saw ... could it possibly have been a short lived Orionid meteor

a reply to: SgtHamsandwich

I see a digitally implanted blue dot with lines around it.

Unless you can show the real object I cannot reply on it.

originally posted by: ChesterJohn
a reply to: SgtHamsandwich

I see a digitally implanted blue dot with lines around it.

Unless you can show the real object I cannot reply on it.

So why reply at all?

I clearly stated that it was a mock up I created in MS Paint in the OP. It was presented as a visual guide to the area in which I saw the light. I never stated it as an object.

I included it in case anyone else might have seen a light this morning in that general area of Orion.

Meteor? Angle of approach was directly towards you or your area.

So instead of a streak, you got to see a flash.

originally posted by: artistpoet
The object you saw ... could it possibly have been a short lived Orionid meteor

It was just a light flash.

originally posted by: eriktheawful
Meteor? Angle of approach was directly towards you or your area.

So instead of a streak, you got to see a flash.

It's possible I guess to be a meteor if it was viewed head on as I seen no streak what so ever. The color was close to meteors I have seen in the past.

a reply to: SgtHamsandwich

As previous poster pointed out ... it depends on angle of descent
I have seen meteors come from the region around Orion's sword depending on their angle of descent determines the length of time you see them

I have see a very shallow descent of a meteor next to Venus (visually) It lasted a long time compared with others I have seen
It seemed to follow a wavy course across the sky

But in saying all this ... I just do not know