Big bright lights?

Im putting this under ufo because I don't know what they are. I just want some explanation to something that I've wondered for years.

I live near Yosemite National Park in California. Reports of ufo sightings are common and usually the same thing every time. The area is rich in gold deposits where most of it still has not been mined. So could something be mining it for electronic purposes?

But anyways what I seen forever now is these objects. They start out brighter than any star in the sky in a stationary position. They then slowly start to move slowly mostly northbound north east some times. They don't blink and surely are not an airplane. But after 30 seconds or so they begin to fade not a fast fade though its not noticeable until u recognize how dim its gotten. They then just dim to nothing.

Has anyone seen this or something similar? I don't think its meteor due to moving so slowly. And not a comet because no tail. So what could it be? There's also a military base about 30 miles from here and see apache helicopters fly over rarely.

Without photos or video it's impossible to say for sure. If you see them routinely, why not photograph or record them on video the next time you see them and post it up?

reply to post by SonoraUndergroundLabs


hya
i seen the exact same thing your talking about
this was in england about 2 yrs ago
then it turned into a red circle and dissapeard

reply to post by SilentKoala


I don't have a video camera.

reply to post by davesmart


They do seem to turn a reddish color before fading away. Nice to know its not just here.

wow thats crazy! I hope we get someone on here thats from the area and occasionally sees what your talking about as well!

reply to post by SonoraUndergroundLabs


Even without pictures or videos, we could hypothesize if your description wasn't that poor.
How many lights? Do they differ in brightness? Do they move relative to the stars?
For me it sounds like your looking at jupiter and venus. They appear very early in the sky at this time of the year.

reply to post by CriticalCK


hya
my experience
it was 1 light
looked like a star but slightly brighter and no flickering
it mingled in with the other stars

reply to post by SonoraUndergroundLabs


Satellites can grow very bright, then go dim (and even sometimes glow reddish) until they fade away. This is because we see satellites only because they are reflecting the sun back to our eyes. As a satellite moves, the angle of it changes relative to the Sun and to our eyes. Therefore, it can grow dim and fade away.

I've seen the ISS (space station) go from being the brightest object in the night sky (besides the Moon) to fading away to almost nothing, and glowing reddish as it fades, in a matter of minutes.

Next time you see one of these objects, note the date, time, location in the sky, and direction, then check out those things with this website to see if it was a satellite:
www.heavens-above.com...

reply to post by CriticalCK


First off. They are NOT a planet because they move noticeably and sometimes move very fast. Its always one of them and u can see it very clearly against the stars. Jupiter and venue are in the south east how do you think it could be them if they come from the north.

Originally posted by SonoraUndergroundLabs
They start out brighter than any star in the sky in a stationary position.

Where in the sky do they start? Just above or close to the horizon perhaps?

If that is the case, my guess is that they are planes or aircraft, either lining up prior to their final descent (if they are a bit higher in the sky - around 15-30 degrees), or planes taking off. If a plane is flying directly towards you, you'll only see a single steady light that does not appear to move, or moving slowly/erratically.

They certainly are not meteors, if you are seeing them on a regular basis in the same place/moving in similar directions, and a comet would not appear to move at all in the sky, so we can cross that off the list too.

You did not mention what time of day/night you were observing these lights at?

Assuming this is after dark, you might be better off getting a DSLR rather than a video camera. With a DSLR + 50mm F1.8 lens + tripod you could easily make a timelapse showing the sequence of events and motion of any lights.

With a budget of around $250-400 you could buy all the kit you need as long as you bought the DSLR second hand. I say second hand, since older DSLRs are more than capable at doing what you need, and will only cost a fraction the price of a new camera.

I'd recommend buying a Canon 20D, or if you can afford a little more, the 30D, which has the same sensor as the 30D but the shutter has a longer lifespan rating spec., and it's usually the shutter that is the first thing to go. Look for a body with low mileage, unless its dirt cheap or you are willing to spend around $150+ (if I remember correctly) to replace the shutter if it goes.

Feel free to U2U me if you need any help.

Originally posted by Soylent Green Is People

Satellites can grow very bright, then go dim (and even sometimes glow reddish) until they fade away. This is because we see satellites only because they are reflecting the sun back to our eyes. As a satellite moves, the angle of it changes relative to the Sun and to our eyes. Therefore, it can grow dim and fade away.

I've seen the ISS (space station) go from being the brightest object in the night sky (besides the Moon) to fading away to almost nothing, and glowing reddish as it fades, in a matter of minutes.

Next time you see one of these objects, note the date, time, location in the sky, and direction, then check out those things with this website to see if it was a satellite:
www.heavens-above.com...

I should have mentioned in my post above that you need to configure "heavens above" for your specific location.