Anyone else viewing that star in the sky?

reply to post by Oozii


Well for the past 2 weeks....for about 3 hours a night, a very bright "star" is always in the same spot in the sky.

It's not a plane or craft of any kind that I can think of because it just sits there in the same spot.......but 3 hours or so later it's just gone.......

My dad even noticed it and I kept suggesting things and he kept wanting to believe it was maybe a planet or something.....

IT was like double the size of anything in the sky except the moon.....

I'll check again tonight to see if it's still there....

peace

reply to post by havok


3 nights ago I viewed a bright object, stationary, changing color (red and green I think) that was just below and to the right of the moon.

I thought it was a planet probably and guessed Jupiter or Venus. My buddy thought it was too bright to be a planet.

When I got home I looked it up on stellarium and they showed Jupiter in that exact spot.

I live on the east coast, Baltimore to be exact. I have a similar star in the western sky. It has the same characteristic colors, but a better description for it would be spinning instead of blinking. I use a 114 Meade telescope with an updated autostar hand held controller that is viewable on my pc via an lcd camera. I have yet to figure out what this "star" is, and as another poster already commented their is no definitive answer that I have seen either.

I'm not sure if anyone else has suggested it, but there is a free program you can download called 'Stellarium'. You can put in your exact location, time,date, etc, and it will show you what you see in the sky.

This makes it easy for identifying stars, as I had the same situation as OP about a year or so ago. So I looked up the glowing/flickering star in the program and it told me it was Vega, the brightest star in the sky to the south for me (and in the program).

www.stellarium.org...

Cheers

[edit on 4-8-2010 by MurrayTORONTO]

I'm on the east coast also, in eastern Canada, and for about the last 3 or 4 years I have noticed the very same thing you guys are describing. It looks like a bright star or possibly planet, and it appears to flash red/blue/green also. I tried to determine what it was from the net back when I first saw it, but had no luck. I even had posted threads on other forums asking if anyone else could see it too. I will look for it tonight and post back with the direction it is at for me

I watched a star like this once, in northern mi, then the dang thing darted off like lightning, was really wild. So, maybe not?

Originally posted by ShotDownInFlames
I will look for it tonight and post back with the direction it is at for me

I'm going to guess southwest

Interesting topic, I have been noticing a similar star for a while now.

It appears early in the evening, usually the first star in the sky and quite low down on the horizon and then is noticeable throughout the night.

I always assumed stars that appear close up and flicker/glimmer the way the OP described were satellites orbiting the earth and the flicker/glimmer was caused by a combination of our atmosphere and light reflecting off the surface of the satellite (and the glow could be the refraction of this light).

The star I keep seeing is behaving the same way the OP has described..

Originally posted by JJBB22

Originally posted by eros6489

Originally posted by Phil C Hickus
I would guess the star Antares.

Source

This would be my best guess as well. The OP said it was in the south and mainly redish in color. It's changing colors would be because of it's low position in the sky.

Actually you are right, the one that's shimmering with colours is right now in the UK 00:13 am - west/south west is Antares.

Antares really does show a lot of different colors. I first noticed it about 5 years ago. It was flashing red, green, and blue; it was quite dramatic. I had to figure out what it was. So using google I found the Stellarium program and 2 minutes later I had my answer.

Deny ignorance. Download Stellarium.

To the OP, I live on the east coast of Australia and I've seen exactly what you're describing.

These strange blinking bright lights in the night sky, they do look like stars.. but not quite the same. Especially when they change locations, and others seemingly appear out of nowhere within very short time periods.

Strange and interesting stuff! S+F

Originally posted by MurrayTORONTO

Originally posted by ShotDownInFlames
I will look for it tonight and post back with the direction it is at for me

I'm going to guess southwest

seems logical....

but the first time I saw it years ago I know for a fact it was almost directly east from me in NB.... The house I lived in at the time was right on a lake, facing east, and I could see the object straight ahead from my front deck. dunno for sure what direction its in now, I have moved since then and my house doesn't face the same direction. I haven't paid enough attention to the flashing object lately to tell you were it is from me now. Couple more hours and I should see it though.

I know that my seeing it to the east contradicts the OP, and therefore probably isn't the same object, but it is the same thing that is decribed throughout this thread and it has piqued my curiousity for years now. I'm happy to see a thread on here about this

Im in seattle and have noticed it for the last 2 months or so...its usually out around here by 8 (doesnt get dark till 930ish) and it is def the brightest and only star i see in the sky...I see it every night and its out at least an hr and a half before i can see any other stars...been wondering what it is myself...i look to the sky often and never noticed it in the past...and you cant miss it...its something bright...Ive pointed it out to a few people and they think its an airplane until weve stood there for 20 minutes and it hasnt moved

Dear OOZII, I have checked in my star map software, and I think that the star that you're reporting about is absolutely certainly the planet JUPITER. Either that or the proper star ALTAIR ALPHA AQUILAE. It should still be visible tonight. Take out your binoculars, and if it is the planet JUPITER then you will catch sight of its four largest moons. If your looking at ALTAIR then it will be simply a single point of light. I hope that this will be a lesson for you. All too often people who are not actively involved in astronomy see such bright stars and mistake them for some kind of UFO craft. I do believe that the UFO are a real phenomenon, but on this occassion I am pretty certain that what you have reported is simply the planet JUPITER. Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System. SOL being the name of our sun, which is just an ordinary star in the Milkyway Galaxy which contains billions of such star systems. shimono/id309926637






[edit on 4/8/2010 by CAELENIUM]

I have been observing this star or planet for a while now.

I dont know what it is but I watch it for its beauty.

Just came back in from watching it and its flickering all different colours very fast tonight. Its a bit like christmas tree lights on acid!!

Originally posted by CAELENIUM
Dear OOZII, I have checked in my star map software, and I think that the star that you're reporting about is absolutely certainly the planet JUPITER. Either that or the proper star ALTAIR ALPHA AQUILAE. It should still be visible tonight. Take out your binoculars, and if it is the planet JUPITER then you will catch sight of its four largest moons. If your looking at ALTAIR then it will be simply a single point of light. I hope that this will be a lesson for you. All too often people who are not actively involved in astronomy see such bright stars and mistake them for some kind of UFO craft. I do believe that the UFO are a real phenomenon, but on this occassion I am pretty certain that what you have reported is simply the planet JUPITER. shimono/id309926637

[edit on 4/8/2010 by CAELENIUM]

I have a pair of binoculars, and did look at the object, or jupiter as you suggest. I did not see any of it's moons. I noticed that it's shine and sparkle, looked to give off more light than itself. (I hope that makes sense)

Just as a reminder, I have not stated this is a UFO, or any form of aircraft. I might think it is, but never said it was.

Also, This object, was different to the bright star some have mentioned. I've also viewed that object for quite some time, and also notice it grew in size, or has gotten brighter from the first time I have noticed it. That object intrigued me aswell. It also would dim, and get bright. Really bright.



[edit on 4-8-2010 by Oozii]

I have a pair of binoculars, and did look at the object, or jupiter as you suggest. I did not see any of it's moons. I noticed that it's shine and sparkle, looked to give off more light than itself. (I hope that makes sense)
Just as a reminder, I have not stated this is a UFO, or any form of aircraft. I might think it is, but never said it was.
Also, This object, was different to the bright star some have mentioned. I've also viewed that object for quite some time, and also notice it grew in size, or has gotten brighter from the first time I have noticed it. That object intrigued me aswell. It also would dim, and get bright. Really bright.

If you're really certain that it is not the star ALTAIR or the planet JUPITER, then my only other suggestion is that it is a UFO. But what is a UFO ? It is my opinion, after all the years of reading about the subject, that the UFO phenomenon is unique to each individual, and is a type of ghost apparition. So this object could be your Guardian Angels on patrol looking after you ? Usually ghosts are invisible, but under certain vibrational circumstances they become visible. Anything is possible. I hope that you will eventually arrive at the truth.

[edit on 4/8/2010 by CAELENIUM]

reply to post by donttaserme



Oh man...where are you at ? last night we saw that the moon was blood red and there were like two stars blinking on each side of it. I thought it was because there was a fire in the area I was in. Freaked us out.....
I am in Oregon.

Funny you should mention stars, im looking at one right now, its very large and very bright.
I noticed it at work tonight at 12.45am, was driving home and it seemed to be getting brighter, in fact i stopped the car in a country lane, got out and had a look...very very bright, very big.

Hey ho i drive off home after 15 mins, i get out the car and there it is above me, a very very bright star...just seemed kinda odd as i havnt seen it before and seems out of place.

Im in the UK, Barnstaple , Devon, its 130am and its a bright mother, anyone know what planet it might be, id hazered a guess that its east at around 2 oclock in the sky.

reply to post by havok

Orbiting at an altitude of about 23,000 miles, it is extremely rare for a geostationary satellite to be visible to the naked eye. It is impossible for it to be bright enough to catch your eye. It would have be a very dark night and you would have to be specifically looking for it and you would have to be extremely lucky.

Typically the satellite will be in the mag. +11 to +14 range (or dimmer), but brightening by several magnitudes when the geometry is favourable (around mag. +5 to +6 is not untypical). One satellite is reported to have briefly been visible to the naked eye at mag. +3 !

www.satobs.org...

Magnitude +6 is about the dimmest that can be seen with the naked eye.

[edit on 8/4/2010 by Phage]

I'm in Quebec City and the brighest star currently in the sky is a planet, it's jupiter. At first i tought it was Venus but i load up Stellarium and it's Jupiter. What you guys are looking at is Jupiter nothing else. It so bright that atmospheric effects may cause the illusion that it's blinking or changing color.