This wasn't a UFO was it?

Last night I was at the pool with my little brother. I was trying to show him where Ursa Major and Minor was (Big and Little Dipper). After a while of him still not seeing it, I started pointing out star by star. And just as I pointed at one and said "there", it started moving away in a straight line. That's when I realized it wasn't actually a part of the constellation. But it had been stationary there for quite some time, as I had been using it to show him where they were.

So it began moving away, as if it were just an airplane, but once it reached a certain degree, it just started to dim out, as if it was flying in a straight line away from me. So basically, as if it were moving away from the Earth. I also noticed that it was a solid white, not like most stars that "twinkle" due to the light traveling so far and being obstructed every so often.

So my question is this: Is it possible this was anything else other than a UFO sighting? Perhaps a satellite being repositioned?

Not sure what exaclty you saw, but I know almost every night when I'm laying down, looking through the window, I always see little lights flying by. And there is no noise like airplanes make. It's pretty weird.

OK, well i have no idea what you saw, or even what you want to believe that it is, but i can say from where i am in the UK, i have often seen something similar to what both of you have described.
I personally wouldn't say they were UFO's, i personally always 'told myself' they were satellites.

Having said that, about a year ago, i was watching the skies because sometimes its my only escape from life, when i noticed 7 lights in a V formation, moving in perfect sync. I have no idea what they were, but their flight path, although exactly the same for most of the way, was too erratic to be Satellites(from what i know).
This could have been a simple Airplane, however after about 2 minutes of followed, they split off into different directions, two of which sped so fast they looked like shooting stars.

Honestly, after about 10 minutes thinking about it, i convinced myself it was 'swamp gas'...lol, just teasing, no i convinced myself it was Satellites.....honestly, even now i'm not sure what they were.

I would say what you saw was a satalite. I see them quite often on clear moonless nights with no other lights around and tons of stars are visable. They look just like a star that moves across the sky in a straghit line... sometimes fading in and out a little.

I don't know about you but I haven't seen a satellite in years now. Anyone else agree?

I used to see them all the time but not anymore. I don't understand why. And I spend alot of time looking at the stars. I love them.

On top of that there are some interesting things about some stars I see.

I've caught a glimpse of the spacestation once and a while when the orbit trac. is right and it has this tinge to it, kind of flourescent colours, greenish and red. The indication that it's manmade because of the metals it's made out of.

with certain "stars" I see the exact same tinge. Most stars aren't really like that. They twinkle but not like some of the ones I'm talking about.

Does anyone else have this same observation?

Satellites can only remain stationary in Geosynchronous orbits. ( That's around 22,230 or so Miles high and not visible )

There are other orbits Satellites can have that could possibly represent what your describing , for instance Com Sat's can have elliptical orbits that on paper could seem almost stationary for a time and then begin to move away. ( But I think this is highly unlikely considering what you described and the time elapsed. )

en.wikipedia.org...

en.wikipedia.org...


Based just on your description it seems quite likely you could have seen some type of UFOlogical phenomena, as this is not uncommon.

Edit: Also there are Iridium Flares that can also "appear" as "stationary stars" upon casual observance that will "appear" to move away and fade out. ( This could be what you saw , and you can go to www.Heavens-above.com... and see when the next Iridium Flare will occur in your area and compare that to what you witnessed.)





[edit on 28-5-2006 by lost_shaman]

speaking of moving lights, I thought I might as well share this, I also look enjoy looking at constellations, however one night it was a bit cloudly, despite this I saw about 6 green moving lights, side by side. I thought it could have been my imagination, but I began looking for reported ufo sightings in my state (washington) and saw that someone else had reported the exact same thing I saw but about 3-4 years after I remember seeing my own sighting :\

I have seen these exact same lights in the night sky too. I began searching for them each night and to my surpise one of these lights appeared directly over my head, it looked exactly like the same lights I had seen way up(the same ones you just described)but it was larger and without a question very close. It was moving very fast and with a brilliant streak of light it was gone. The whole sighting lasted about 3 seconds and was exactly in my line of vision(I was looking at the stars at the time)

Me and my wife have also seen lights like these in a V formation. Right above us we saw that they were swaying(like a tree's branches would in the wind), although they were moving in perfect harmany/unison together while keeping on the same course of direction.

i have seen lights like you said too. they move in straight lines over the sky. my brother told me they are satellites but sometimes ive seen one stop and then start moving again. can satellites stop and then start again? i thought they were in orbit and always moving..

Here in the Uk you can see sattellites pretty much any clear night for about 2 or 3 hrs after sunset. If you go out about an hour after its gone down, look directly above and you are guarunteed to see them, sometimes brighter than the brightest star.

You're unlikely to spot a geostationary satellite as it would just look like a normal star

The time you see them depends on their altitude (the further away they are, the later you can see them) They fade out as they enter the earths shadow.