Flashing star below big dipper handle

In the beginning of september I noticed a very bright multi-colored star flashing around 10:30 pm. I made a point of watching it for about an hour then went to bed. The next night at the same time I checked for it again but it wasn't there. However, it's been there every night since. As the hour passes it gets further away as the planet rotates so I assumed it is just star.

To find it, follow the big dipper's handle backwards and continue about 4 inches or so in a straight line. I've checked google sky for possible stars but there's too many to try and pinpoint which one it is. It's bugging the crap out of me. Is it a star? ufo? Hoping some experts can solve this for me.

Thanks

reply to post by FlySolo

i saw a satellite around the big dipper a coupla nights ago, anyone can confirm a satellite viewable with the naked eye in that flight path? it looked like it was blinking because of sparse clouds i think, but i saw something very similar...it just looked like a satellite to me though.

reply to post by FlySolo




What direction are you looking? The Big Dipper (Ursa Major) is in the north and very low on the horizon at 10:30. There is not much room for there to be anything "below" it. Are sure that you are looking at the Big Dipper?


Gets further away from what? The stars all maintain their positions relative to each other as the Earth rotates.


[edit on 2-10-2008 by Phage]

Originally posted by FlySolo
In the beginning of september I noticed a very bright multi-colored star flashing around 10:30 pm. I made a point of watching it for about an hour then went to bed. The next night at the same time I checked for it again but it wasn't there. However, it's been there every night since. As the hour passes it gets further away as the planet rotates so I assumed it is just star.

To find it, follow the big dipper's handle backwards and continue about 4 inches or so in a straight line. I've checked google sky for possible stars but there's too many to try and pinpoint which one it is. It's bugging the crap out of me. Is it a star? ufo? Hoping some experts can solve this for me.

Thanks

thank you! you described it better than i could. i was sitting in bed one night watching this, im like, do i see multiple flashing lights on this? and then suddenly it goes out after i watched it for an hour. the only thing it could have bveen was clouds passing in front, but i went on my balcony, low and behold.. not a cloud in the sky

edit: im not sure if we're talking about the same spot in the sky but i saw the same thing you're describing.
there was even parts where i could have sworn i saw something that looked like a very fast shooting star dart from right to left underneath this light.. but i wasnt even sure if what i saw actually happened.. but i DO know that i saw this 'star' flashing after focussing on it for a while, that it DID suddenly just go out



[edit on 2-10-2008 by MurrayTORONTO]

[edit on 2-10-2008 by MurrayTORONTO]

My son sees a star blinking just below the big dipper too, just about every night. It stands out from all the other stars. He saw something move under the the big dipper and then change direction and go another way. It is just out back over head around 9-10:30 pm. My son sees things clearly when I can just make them out. He sees thousands of stars even with the pollution here at the coast, when I can only make out between 20 and 40 stars. He says this was happening for nearly a month, but he only stopped going outside to watch a couple weeks ago when the weather changed.

[edit on 2-10-2008 by mystiq]

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by FlySolo

 

What direction are you looking? The Big Dipper (Ursa Major) is in the north and very low on the horizon at 10:30. There is not much room for there to be anything "below" it. Are sure that you are looking at the Big Dipper?


Gets further away from what? The stars all maintain their positions relative to each other as the Earth rotates.


[edit on 2-10-2008 by Phage]

I know your not trying to sound condescending but yes I am aware of what Ursa Major (big dipper) looks like. Its practically the only constellation I can pick out, other than Ursa Minor (little dipper).

Anyway, it's not too low in the horizon at that time. I live in Vancouver and it is over the mountains which is above the horizon.

[edit on 2-10-2008 by FlySolo]

Originally posted by mystiq
My son sees a star blinking just below the big dipper too, just about every night. It stands out from all the other stars. He saw something move under the the big dipper and then change direction and go another way. It is just out back over head around 9-10:30 pm. My son sees things clearly when I can just make them out. He sees thousands of stars even with the pollution here at the coast, when I can only make out between 20 and 40 stars. He says this was happening for nearly a month, but he only stopped going outside to watch a couple weeks ago when the weather changed.

[edit on 2-10-2008 by mystiq]

great contribution! even though i am told i have 20/20 vision, my 7 year old son notices more stars and sees anomalys in the sky almost always before i notice them.
very interesting!

Originally posted by mystiq
My son sees a star blinking just below the big dipper too, just about every night. It stands out from all the other stars. He saw something move under the the big dipper and then change direction and go another way. It is just out back over head around 9-10:30 pm. My son sees things clearly when I can just make them out. He sees thousands of stars even with the pollution here at the coast, when I can only make out between 20 and 40 stars. He says this was happening for nearly a month, but he only stopped going outside to watch a couple weeks ago when the weather changed.

[edit on 2-10-2008 by mystiq]

Man, just when I gave up thinking it's a star you got me going again. This thing really blinks I tell you. Bright blues, reds, almost like it's spinning.

reply to post by FlySolo


I glad you know I'm not being condesencing, just trying to help figure it out. I've seen people point at "the Big Dipper" all over the sky.

Anyway telling me your location helps. Ursa Major is still only about 20 degrees above the horizon in Vancouver at 10:00PM.

Arcturus is a very bright star and sparkles very noticeably but it is right on the horizon at that time. Earlier in the evening is should be clearly visible. Your fist, held vertically at arm's length is about ten degrees. "Four inches" is also about right for this. By this description, you're looking in the area of Bootes. There are a few fairly bright stars in this region.

[edit on 2-10-2008 by Phage]

I saw something similar to what you are describing but was in Cassiopea.....the conclusion from some was that it was an Iridium flare....but then someone investigated and said there couldnt have been one from my location at that time.........

www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by Enigma Publius


Thank you. He's 17, and when I got up to do something, he clicked into this thread and started telling me it was similar to what he sees all the time. I was writing it as he was trying to define what he saw a lot.

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by FlySolo

 

I glad you know I'm not being condesencing, just trying to help figure it out. I've seen people point at "the Big Dipper" all over the sky.

Anyway telling me your location helps. Ursa Major is still only about 20 degrees above the horizon in Vancouver at 10:00PM.

Arcturus is a very bright star and sparkles very noticeably but it is right on the horizon at that time. Your fist, held vertically at arm's length is about ten degrees. "Four inches" is also about right for this. By this description, you're looking in the area of Bootes. There are a few fairly bright stars in this region.

[edit on 2-10-2008 by Phage]

Ahh bootes. I was coming to that conclusion after checking out google sky but hearing it from another helps. Mystery solved.

reply to post by MurrayTORONTO


I see this on every clear night that I look. We have several blinking /flashing star-like objects around here. I also see a few so called 'shooting stars ' too. These aren't stars because they MOVE when they are ready and some will "turn off" their light(?) . I have seen one of the low, bright,flashing,hovering objects do it right when I spotlighted them. Just take more time to watch them. Like an hour, and you will be amazed. It is some kind of hi-tech aircraft. I've watched them come and leave before. Why they are pretending to be STARS is the question.

reply to post by Phage


I'm an hour from Vancouver, and I do know what the big dipper looks like, its out back just to the west of the trees around 9:30 ish, I'd say and slowly makes it way west.

Maybe this will help a bit more:

My son noticed it flashed blue and a bright whitish light. He says he doesn't remember if it ever flashed red or not, but he's not discounting it, because he's seen if for quite some time, late summerish.

reply to post by mystiq


No.
I don't know where your trees are but the big dipper is always in the northern sky. It moves between the NW and the NE.

Some really cool colors show up around the Arcturus (I hope I spelled that right). Even my eyes pick that up from time to time. We got into a habit of looking of near the end of the dipper for it.

Originally posted by imysbbad
reply to post by MurrayTORONTO

 

I see this on every clear night that I look. We have several blinking /flashing star-like objects around here. I also see a few so called 'shooting stars ' too. These aren't stars because they MOVE when they are ready and some will "turn off" their light(?) . I have seen one of the low, bright,flashing,hovering objects do it right when I spotlighted them. Just take more time to watch them. Like an hour, and you will be amazed. It is some kind of hi-tech aircraft. I've watched them come and leave before. Why they are pretending to be STARS is the question.

Too bad we're beginning the rainy season now. I too would like to spot some of these star posers

In our townhouse, at the outskirts of Chilliwack, you see it out our back porch which is to the south, and it moves towards the west, towards Vancouver.

www.madsci.org...

Does the Big Dipper move? This is an interesting question. On the surface
it appears that a simple yes or no would do the trick. As you probably have
learned by now, life is rarely that simple.
The Big Dipper has a whole does not move relative to the earth. It just
appears to move because the earth itself is rotating on its axis. The
entire sky appears to move as one as the earth turns underneath. The sun,
moon and stars travel from east to west as we rotate from west to east. To
prove this to yourself, go out one night every hour and note the position
of a constellation. It will appear to move across the sky. There is another
motion caused by the earths travel around the sun in its orbit. This causes
the constellations to appear in a slightly different place each night at
the same time. To prove this to yourself, go out at the same time once a
week for the next few months and mark the position of the constellations.
Each night they will appear in a slightly different location. If the
weather is bad or it is very bright at night where you are, go to this web
site, www.heavens-above.com...
Click where it says to select your location, Choose your country and type
in your city. Select the city where you live. The page that you go to will
give you lots of choices. Select Whole sky chart and you will get a map of
the sky. You can enter any month, day, year and time that you choose. Here
you can play with the map and see just how the stars appear to move.
There is one more motion that I want to mention. The stars themselves are
each moving through space. Each star in the Big Dipper is moving. That
motion from the earth is called proper motion. The shape of the Big Dipper
will change very slowly through time. In ten thousand years it will appear
much differently.

And we've known what the big dipper was all our lives. In Oliver, my home town, you could so many stars, and the cloudy part that looks like the milky way, its far more spectacular than here. I miss it.