Astronomy: So You See a Bright Light?, page 1
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Topic started on 21-4-2005 @ 07:40 AM by cmdrkeenkid
There's been quite some activity lately on ATS about "identifiable bright lights" in the sky, so hopefully with some information on how to identify objects, they can be put to rest. Also, staring at a bright star as the sky is darkening and dimmer stars are coming into view give the impression that the object is moving rapidly! It's just an optical illusion, so try not to just blindly stare at whatever it is.

When you go out and see a bright light, here's some info that you can take down to help identify it.


  1. Date
  2. Time (within a half hour)
  3. Location (approximately and including elevation if possible)
  4. Altitude of object
  5. Azimuth of object
  6. As detailed of description as possible. Things to include how long you watched it, what color it was, what constellation it was in, and anything else you may think to be important.


So an observation would look something like this...

Apr. 21, 2005
8:40 AM
Ypsilanti MI, 715 ft above sea level
Alt: 25 degrees
Azi: 100 degrees
It was bright and yellow and warm... It hurt my eyes to look at and now I'm seeing spots everywhere.

Don't understand Altitude/Azimuth?
Altitude is the height of the object above the horizon in degrees. An easy way to approximate this is to use your outstretched at arm's length as about 10 degrees in the sky. You need your fngers to be parallel to the horizon for this. Measure the amount of fist heights above the horizon is, and you'll get what it's altitude is about.

Azimuth is the direction of the object from the north point. It works just like a compass.

North = 0 degrees
East = 90 degrees
South = 180 degrees
West = 270 degrees

Try and measure it from one of those key points, again using your fists. This time though your fingers need to be perpendicular to the horizon. So if you know the object is in the SSE, for example, you could start at the east point of 90 and measure over from there.

Other Resources
Some other things you can do to identify an object would be to purchase some computer software, some star charts, or some books. Here are some suggestions.

Starry Night - Computer software. Just about the best on the market, and what I use to post astronomy images here on ATS.

Your Sky - Online star charts, set for your location

My Stars Live - Another Online star chart program.

Stars and Planets - A really good beginners field guide.


[edit on 4/21/2005 by cmdrkeenkid]


reply posted on 22-4-2005 @ 04:08 AM by spacedoubt
CLAP CLAP!

Good idea...why didn't you think of it sooner?
j/k..







reply posted on 25-4-2005 @ 07:58 PM by PeanutButterJellyTime
Another excellent site is www.heavens-above.com....

Go to Heavens-Above and register for a free account. When you log in you can get exact locations to see satellites, space junk like discarded rocket bodies, the ISS, the Hubble, etc. The site gives the time to see the object, the direction to look, and the angle above the horizon to look.

I like to go to Heavens-Above and then go outside and get pictures of satellites. I'm trying to get a picture of every Iridium communication satellite.

Another great, free astronomy program is Stellarium. It's what I use before I go outside for a night's observing with my telescope. It's free, easy to use, has great graphics, and shows you exactly how the sky looks outside. It shows stars, planets, and other 'stuff'. You can turn on or off the lines drawing constellations, star names, and even artwork showing the constellations.


reply posted on 26-4-2005 @ 11:05 PM by PeanutButterJellyTime
Originally posted by cmdrkeenkid
Originally posted by The_Recondite_Philomath
Is anyone aware of a similar program with the capability of simulating the night sky in ancient times?


Try getting ahold of Starry Night.


I ran Stellarium backwards to 1/1/0000, but the clock wigged out when I tried to go back beyond that date.

Try Celestia. It's a fully 3D-rendered program that lets you tour the universe. You can set the date back to 1800, then let the time run backwards from there. I'm not sure how far back it will go.

Celestia is awesome but it can take a lot of hard drive space. You can download plugins for almost anything. You can go back in time and watch skylab orbit the earth, go to the Messiers, etc. It's really cool if you're in to astronomy. And, like Stellarium, it's free.


reply posted on 17-7-2006 @ 01:20 AM by StreetCorner Philosopher
Originally posted by PeanutButterJellyTime
Another excellent site is www.heavens-above.com....

Go to Heavens-Above and register for a free account. When you log in you can get exact locations to see satellites, space junk like discarded rocket bodies, the ISS, the Hubble, etc. The site gives the time to see the object, the direction to look, and the angle above the horizon to look.

I like to go to Heavens-Above and then go outside and get pictures of satellites. I'm trying to get a picture of every Iridium communication satellite.

Another great, free astronomy program is Stellarium. It's what I use before I go outside for a night's observing with my telescope. It's free, easy to use, has great graphics, and shows you exactly how the sky looks outside. It shows stars, planets, and other 'stuff'. You can turn on or off the lines drawing constellations, star names, and even artwork showing the constellations.


I really want to thank you for the links to these 2 amazing sites ! I also am getting a telescope real soon. Is a three thousand dollar scope considered top of the line for enthusiasts?
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