UFO next to the moon???

originally posted by: Davg80it would be good if others checked it out

thats priceless. so you want us to find the evidence for you? thats your job! you created this post. grab a damn camera the fifth time you go and see it.

a reply to: JourneymanWelder

i actually did take a picture before i wrote the post, but it just looked like a star, and thanks to ATSers i quickly found out what it was anyway. Also if it was a UFO, declaring it on ATS so everyone could get a chance to see it "live" is what i call some good ass evidence anyway, if it did turn out to be a UFO............ but it was Jupiter and it was still pretty amazing, so no harm done.

originally posted by: Davg80

...now i know stars dont follow the moon, so either the four times i have looked out there so happened to be a star in the same position each time.... or it is a UFO, if anyone in the UK can look at the Moon and see the "star" im talking about...

Yes and no.

The apparent motion we see of the stars, planets, and the moon over the course of one night is mostly due to the earth's rotation. However, the moon itself also revolves around the earth, so its apparent motion is actually a little slower than the background stars -- i.e., the moon appears to be moving slowly "backward" against the background stars.

That motion is so slow that it is difficult to detect over the course of a few hours, although it does result in the Moon rising about 30 to 60 minutes later relative to the background stars each night/night. You might be able to notice that movement over the course of an entire night if you (say , fro example) measure the distance from the Moon to a star at moonrise, then measure again to that same star near the time the Moon sets.

The visible planets also move slightly differently against the background stars due to their own orbits, with the closer ones (Venus, for example) having a faster apparent motion than the farther ones, such as Jupiter. However, they do not move as quickly as the moon in the night sky, and their apparent motions against the background stars may take a few days the be easily noticeable with the naked eye.

Dave, I saw this and was pretty amazed at the sight. Now I wish I had taken a picture...although my first thought was not a UFO...I thought star or planet.

I've been watching this myself the last few nights as I drive a route for work. It has been stunning.
As it gets closer to dawn, I get to watch the moon get closer to setting with the awesome orange glow it gets with Jupiter riding along, as I am usually heading west at the time. So I see it over wide open fields. Since I do a lot of turning around, I also get to watch Venus rising in the east. Add in the deer out doin their thing in the early hours and it really is quite magical for me.