Bright Light in the sky???

[*stRgrL*]

I have been a star gazer for the majority of my life. I have seen this peculiar light 4 different times in my life. The first one looked just like a star floating across the sky. Finally it faded and disapeared. The last 3 I have seen in the past year. They look like a star, then they get really bright, then they dim and float off and disapear. Now I know I am not crazy and I'm not the only one who has seen this. Does anyone out there have a theory or perhaps an explanation. Someone suggested it was a satellite. (?????) I've always been curious. Thanx

[Mr. G]

Hi,

Please provide more visually descriptive information, as well as date, time, direction, sky altitude info.

Were this a murder mystery it would never get solved on the information initially provided. ;)

[*stRgrL*]

Okay, I cant really estimate the altitude, but it look EXACTLY like a star. It moves like an airplane, but then it fades out. Sometimes it gets really bright then fades. Im sorry I cant really describe anymore. But do satellites look like stars?? Thanks for trying to help:)

[Porfiry]

In my experience, satellites do generally look like stars. And, I suspect the ISS is probably rather bright as well.

The dimming of the object is probably a result of the satellite moving into the Earth's shadow.

[John Devers]

I think the ISS is the 4th brightest object in the sky at the moment. Soon when extra pieces are added it will rival Venus.

In the mean time here are some other types of lights in the sky.

<A HREF="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html" target=new><FONT COLOR=Lime size=+1> APOD

</FONT></A>

sunpillar



<img src="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0111/sunpillar_kirkpatrick.jpg">



anticrepuscular rays


<img src="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0110/anticrepuscular_britton.jpg">

aurora


<img src="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0111/aurorawinnipeg_majko.jpg">

[Pollux V]

I'd need to find myself a new package of depends if I ever saw any of those up close (except for the auroras).

[wet1]

Satellites will usually follow an east to west path. They move rather quickly takeing only a few minutes to traverse the sky. Mostly, as Porfirey mentioned they are brighter than the stars in magnitude. The majority of the time you can distinglish the satellites from aircraft because the aircraft will have navagation beacons, meaning that some lights will flash.

[*stRgrL*]

Well thanks guys for taking the time out to share your thoughts. Really appreciate it. Im almost convinced they were satellites.:)

[Boris2]

Could also be pranksters using a garbage bag with a heat source under to make a hot air ballon.

[cygnusco24]

my best guess would be one of the iridium satellites which are said to "flare" at certain times based on sun angles and such, you can search the web and find tracking data on these birds. hope this helps

[Fukushi]

Can't you tell how high up in the sky approx?

Maby it's a heli using it's searchlight, I've seen that too, it seems exactely like that what you're saying.

btwidoknowaboutthelightsintheskybutIdon'twanttoups etanyoneheresincetheymostlikelywilldeclaremeinsane onthespot

[Pete]

I'd put good odds on Iridium flares.

*stRgrL*, here's how to find out for sure:

Go to Heavens-Above.com (www.heavens-above.com)
Select your location from their database
Click on "next 7 days" under "Iridium Flares"
Pick a nice bright one from the list. (More negative magnitudes are brighter. The brightest Iridium flares peak at about -8.) Note the time and position.
Go outside at the appropriate time and look in the appropriate direction. See if you see the same as what you saw before.
Come back here and tell us about it!

I hope this helps!

Pete

[blobrana]

Hum,
The moral of the story here is that it is important to get the time and date so that you can work out what was in the sky at the time….

Anyway, it’s pointless now,
As he must surly have been abducted by his UFO by now...

[Pete]

Ack!
I should have looked at the OP date before posting.

Oh well...

[Communist Hamster]

OMG major bumpage.

Well at least I know about anticrepuscular rays now.

[abyssoft]

I think the object in question, at least from the base description given, can be located by following Orion's arrow. From where I am it become visable around 5 am. It is rather bright and can be seen right up until the sun crests the horizon. it twinkles which if I remember correctly indicates it is a stellar object verses planet or satellite. Identification of this object would be most interesting.

[blobrana]

This is how to Report what you saw:

<b>00)</b> Your name?
<b>01)</b> Your Town/region/Country?
<b>02)</b> Date and Time?
<b>03)</b> What compass direction did the object appear from? <i>e.g. south</i>
<b>04)</b> What compass direction did the object disappear to? <i>e.g. north</i>
<b>05)</b> How long, in seconds, were you able to see it in the sky?
<b>06)</b> How many degrees off the horizon was it when it appeared?
(<i>eg, a closed fist at arm's length is 10 degrees</i>)
<b>07)</b> How many degrees off the horizon was it when it disappeared?
<b>08)</b> How bright was it? (<i>star, Venus, Moon</i>)
<b>09)</b> Did you see any colour(s)?
<b>10)</b> Did it split apart? What did that look like?
<b>11)</b> Did it leave a trail in the sky after it was gone? How long did that last?
<b>12)</b> How fast did it move?
<b>13)</b> Did you hear a sound? Was there a time delay from sighting to sound?
<b>14)</b> What is the closest Town/city when you saw the object?
<b>15)</b> Additional remarks, drawings, photos?



<i>Have i forgot anything?</i>
<i>Have i lost an hour?</i>

[abyssoft]

George Weilenmann
Garland Texas USA
Can be seen from 0515-0640 CDT Ongoing noticed object initially on approx. 8/29/05
Rises Slightly to the south of Sun.
Object Dissappears as the the sun crests.
Object does not fade until sunrise
It is brighter then Mars and at least as bright as venus(Juptiter and Venus are Elimintated as candidates as they appear near the terminating horizon as sunset mars is at the zenith when object rises)

Color is variable mostly blue and white with occassional twinkles towards red and infrequent greens.

object remains in tact.

no trail/tail is present. Appears not to have planetary motion Remains in constant relational position to the constellation Orion.
Dallas is the largest Major Metro area.

object is 13 deg from Orions arrow and 21 degrees from his head.

[TruthSeeker]

I have been a star gazer for the majority of my life. I have seen this peculiar light 4 different times in my life. The first one looked just like a star floating across the sky. Finally it faded and disapeared. The last 3 I have seen in the past year. They look like a star, then they get really bright, then they dim and float off and disapear. Now I know I am not crazy and I'm not the only one who has seen this. Does anyone out there have a theory or perhaps an explanation. Someone suggested it was a satellite. (?????) I've always been curious. Thanx
You just experienced an UFO :eek:
(not necessarily aliens)
How fast it moved?

Oh wait. Is *stRgrL* still around? :bugeye:

Yaba Daba :m:

[*stRgrL*]

LOL... I am still around... sorta. Anyhoo... since I have first posted this, I believe around 2 or 3 years ago, I have seen dozens more. They move like airplanes, because most of the times that is what I think they are, until they fade out and disappear. I DO live by an Air Base but I seriously doubt they are anysort of airplanes. They look like they're floating, they don't blink, they look like stars and then they disappear. Everytime I see one with someone else they totally freak out. I think or thought they were satellites but know I am starting to wonder. Anyways, thanks for everyone trying to figure this shit out for me:)

[*stRgrL*]

Damn! I really didn't realize it had been a whole 5 years since I've posted this question!!!!

[P. BOOM!]

Sounds to me like an Iridium Flare. The Iridium satellites were launched in the 90s to create a global satellite phone network. They tend to be very variable in brightness, and can get VERY bright. There is a website that predicts these flares....http://www.heavens-above.com/

[P. BOOM!]

Damn! I really didn't realize it had been a whole 5 years since I've posted this question!!!!

So did you visit that website that I and others mentioned? I am 99% sure these are Iridium Flares that you are seeing. It is great fun to go to that website, get the predictions, and go see the show. You just have to register with the website, and put in your location as precisely as possible. Then the website predicts the flares according to location, and it estimates the position, timing, and brightness. As far as brightness goes, the lower the number the better. For example, a -8 would be better than -6.

[*stRgrL*]

Hey P. Boom! Thanks for all of that info. I did register on that one site that you provided. The thing is, I googled 'iridium flares' and the pics that popped up looked more like streaks across the sky, not like stars. But! I'm going to check upcoming flares and see if it is indeed what I've been seeing. I'll keep ya posted:D Hey did you know you can see those flares in the daylight too? Neato!

Thanks again!!!

[tablariddim]

Maybe it's ball lightning?

[Pete]

Hey P. Boom! Thanks for all of that info. I did register on that one site that you provided. The thing is, I googled 'iridium flares' and the pics that popped up looked more like streaks across the sky, not like stars. But! I'm going to check upcoming flares and see if it is indeed what I've been seeing. I'll keep ya posted:D Hey did you know you can see those flares in the daylight too? Neato!

Thanks again!!!
The photos of iridium flares you find online are long exposures. They photograph as streaks becuse thye move during exposure. When you see them, they look like stars.

[CANGAS]

Basic facts can sometimes be crucial.

Satelites perform a STRAIGHT path across the sky. Do your lights curve at all?

Satelites perform extremely uniform speed in their traverse of the sky. Do your lights seem to vary their speed?

I have observed satelites which varied in brightness. I have assumed that it was ( partly ) due to a rotating satelite having a dark side and a bright side.

[Megabrain]

I have been a star gazer for the majority of my life. I have seen this peculiar light 4 different times in my life. The first one looked just like a star floating across the sky. Finally it faded and disapeared. The last 3 I have seen in the past year. They look like a star, then they get really bright, then they dim and float off and disapear. Now I know I am not crazy and I'm not the only one who has seen this. Does anyone out there have a theory or perhaps an explanation. Someone suggested it was a satellite. (?????) I've always been curious. Thanx

Look up 'iridium satellites' then please try and find something more exciting to discuss... yawn....

[*stRgrL*]

Pete:
You know I was thinking the same thing after I typed my last post.


Gangas:
The majority of them have been straight which leads me to believe they are satellites but a few of them curved.... wierd....

Megabrain:
Noone is making you read my posts. If your so bored, don't read it! DOI! YAWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

[Megabrain]

I just thought if you'd been a star gazer all your life and could not identify an iridium satellite the stars you have been gazing at were probably in Hello Magazine.

[CANGAS]

Pete:
You know I was thinking the same thing after I typed my last post.


Gangas:
The majority of them have been straight which leads me to believe they are satellites but a few of them curved.... wierd....

Megabrain:
Noone is making you read my posts. If your so bored, don't read it! DOI! YAWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN



Those exhibiting curved paths have made it through the first cut. Do any of the curved sightings show up on any kind of regular basis: every night, every tenth night, every 38th night, or any repeating interval? Place no significance on the numbers I used as examples of intervals.

And, is there any repetition in the direction of their curve? Do they repeat going West then curving to the North, or some such?

Do they first go straight then curve? Or first go curved then straighten up?

One of the important first steps to analyze any problem is to try to discover a pattern if there is one. And it can be important also to discover that there is not a pattern.