What am I looking at?

Hello everyone,

It's my first post here, I'm wondering that it is that I'm looking at the exact moment. Ok here's the deal: I was looking at the sky as usually - not trying to look at anything particar, but this "thing" was striking and so I took a better look to it.
It seemed like a normal star at first but then after checking it out for a moment I just had to take my binoculars out and look closer to it, it looks very much like a star, just a bit bigger, and the thing that makes it so special: it's actually shining with colors, mostly red..could be purple too, hard to say as my hand keeps shaking and my binoculars are so poor but sure as hell changing colors. There are normal stars in the sky at the very moment, and it's different from the others, it's bigger too.
but anyway, it seems very weird, I thought it'd be a plane first - but it isn't moving fast at all, actually it seems more like it's staying in the same position all the time, if it is moving, it goes very slow, changing position slowly.
What is it that I'm looking at? I have no clue at all.

Well I'm positive it is moving however, very slowly though.
70% it's moving slowly to west.

Your looking at a star.
the change in its color is caused by atmospheric gasses.
its not moving,we are.


Also,are you sure it's not a binary star?
Binary star systems can make identifying colors very hard.

[edit on 3-12-2004 by Samhain]

Hello Sarderun
I see something very similar to what you are describing it comes around anywhere between 5 pm and 8 pm from the south east over lake Ontario, but I have a sneaking suspicion it is an airplane
Could be a satellite


[edit on 3/12/2004 by Sauron]

what your seeing is a star. stars are different colors and its probably moving because of the earths rotation. Remeber we go around the sun not the other way around.

Does it happen to change color, very rapidly, say really fast like?

If so we might be seeing the same thing, even if not in the same hemisphere (I'm in W.Michigan). After all the possibility of more is likely. If you havn't read the thread I started about odd flashing color changing things, go ahead and check it out.

Originally posted by ADVISOR
Does it happen to change color, very rapidly, say really fast like?

That doesn't mean anything though, since any given object can scintillate given the right atmospheric conditions.

Any it's moving west? The way the stars, planets, sun, and moon all move? Could you sort fo give an idea of where in the sky it is at a certain time? A good way is to hold out your fist at arm's length. The width of your fist (with knuckles perpendicular to the horizon) is about 10 degrees in altitude. Measure up and get back to us.

hmm that's interesting ADVISOR. Yes I noticed that it was changing colors quite rapidly as you mentioned. I really can't tell but seemed to me it kept from changing red to purple, blue, white.. hard to tell but yes it was changing colours quickly(this is what caught my eye in the first place) also that it was clearly a bit bigger than the rest of the stars. Satellite maybe?
Sorry cmdrkeenkid but I honestly got no clue where on the sky it was , to advisor: I'm posting from scandinavia.

That is another conversation altogether perhaps for u2us, but my family surname goes back to that land. As for the object, your in the right hemi for the sighting to be possibly related. Have you noticed it in different locations, even though the rest of the constellations havent moved? For example it's location from Ursa Major, as that is how I've been locating it; Comparing it against the night sky, I have seen it in the west, south east and north. I wish the weather would clear...then I could get another compass bearing on it.

Originally posted by sarderun
hmm that's interesting ADVISOR. Yes I noticed that it was changing colors quite rapidly as you mentioned. I really can't tell but seemed to me it kept from changing red to purple, blue, white.. hard to tell but yes it was changing colours quickly(this is what caught my eye in the first place) also that it was clearly a bit bigger than the rest of the stars. Satellite maybe?
Sorry cmdrkeenkid but I honestly got no clue where on the sky it was

, to advisor: I'm posting from scandinavia.

Satellites move very fast and are dim,i doubt it is a satellite.

Originally posted by sarderun
Sorry cmdrkeenkid but I honestly got no clue where on the sky it was

.

I'll say it again, as I said in my first post. Any it's moving west? The way the stars, planets, sun, and moon all move? Could you sort fo give an idea of where in the sky it is at a certain time? A good way is to hold out your fist at arm's length. The width of your fist (with knuckles perpendicular to the horizon) is about 10 degrees in altitude. Measure up and get back to us.

And satellites don't say in the same position, unles they're orbiting around the equator and are 23,000 (I think) miles up. And those you can't see. FOr more on seeing satellites go to www.heavens-above.com...

I�ve been checking on this thread all day, and Advisor�s on going thread for sometime. Well, tonight I noticed a very strange object on the eastern horizon that was so bright and seemed to be almost pulsing with brilliant colors. At first I thought, man that is very strange as it seems too large to be a star and I didn�t think that any planets should be in that area at that time. Well, I did a little searching and soon realized that it was either Procyon, in Canis Minor, or Sirius in Canis Major. It is a very clear and cold night here so naturally there is going to be a lot of atmospheric distortion. It truly is amazing how different these objects can look from night to night. Now, your situation might be different but I thought I would share something that initially stumped me and could be a possible explanation for your problem.

Definitely Sirius, at this time of year it rises on evening.
It's also brightest star in the sky.
Near horizon it blinks in all colors. Also thick atmosphere "in route of LOS" can spread light so it looks bigger.
And for movement, sky... or earth rotates ~15 degrees/hour.


Here's free sky chart program:
www.stargazing.net...

Originally posted by sarderun
Sorry cmdrkeenkid but I honestly got no clue where on the sky it was

, to advisor: I'm posting from scandinavia.

Here's some reference for you, that hourglass looking constellation is Orion, M45 (Pleiades) is near right upper corner and Sirius is near bottom of image.



[edit on 5-12-2004 by E_T]

for the best free star chart program go here

www.winstars.net...

I've used a lot of the free and buought a lot of the chart programs this one is the easyest to use

:goes to look outside:


*Z*

Is there any updates on this phenomena?

I would like to see it but there is too much horizon pollution, E.G. buildings...

I might go to the beach at night and watch...

-bump-

Anything? i've been seeing strange objects as of late, quite bright...

There seems to be some type of darkish gray material covering the whole sky, leaking droplets of some liquid.....

Maybe I should wait until the sky clears before I look for anything.

Sounds like a star to me though. I've seen them flash some quite brilliant colors even with my naked eye.