My moon experience

I have always had many questions about space, moon etc. Went through a religious stage many years ago but asked too many questions which couldn't be answered. Was somewhat sceptical about ufos (until getting on the net in '95). I guess my true awakening came in Oct, 2004. Here's the story.

My first astronomy lessons came from a small $30 telescope. Not much to see other than some moon craters, venus etc. In Oct 2004 I purchased a meade 5" with the goto controls. Not really knowing how to use it I decided to just go out to the yard and look at the (full)moon maybe mars and anything else I could figure out. After focusing on the moon and watching it for 5 minutes I noticed 2 small black dots that appeared to be orbiting the moon. If you draw a 12" circle the dots would appear to be about the size of a pencil dot (quite small but very visible).

The black dots entered from the southeast and crossed the face of the moon in about 6 minutes, disappearing over the northwest horizon making a perfectly straight line. They re-appeared in about 6 minutes at the same point on the southeast horizon. I watched this for about 40 minutes. At first I assumed it was some type of satellite orbiting and that the second dot was a shadow. After 3 passes of 2 dots the fourth pass had only one dot as if one of the objects had landed (scratching my head now).

I continued to watch and the second dot reappeared after two one dot passes. I watched this for about an hour. Packed up the scope and searched the NASA website for an explanation. Checked some other sites but nothing about any moon satellites could be found. Thought about it for a few days and decided to email some astronomers for an explanation. Two replied saying there was nothing they knew of orbiting the moon. One asked me if I was close to a tree and that maybe I was seeing some bees. Obviously this was not some bees. The perfectly straight line, two dots then one then two. etc etc. I knew that whatever it was I saw was definitely making circles around the moon. I have since focused on the moon but saw nothing. UFO or Military something is up there.

Wow, great story, thanks for sharing it.

I'm about ready to purchase a "scope" myself so that I can "watch". I too have been intruiged with space and the "unknown" since I was a kid.

I can't wait to hear what the others have to say about your experience.

Wow, great inspiration to go out a get a telescope!

Could you use the Clementine photos to plot their 'course' and look for sites where the second dot could have landed? (or for blurred places where such a site was 'erased' before photos were published?)

www.cmf.nrl.navy.mil...

I probably should add that the two dots were slightly staggered like military jets that fly in formation. They looked like about the size of a period ( . ) crossing a twelve inch circle. In reality that would make them quite large.

Its my understanding that everything you see in a telescope is upside down. So actually it would be traveling from the northeast to southwest (I think) and this would be in front of a full moon.

[edit on 12-5-2007 by aceace]

[edit on 12-5-2007 by aceace]

Interesting. Have you been looking since then? You should get one of those little cameras for your scope. Just in case you happen to see that again.

Do you think they were manned?

Originally posted by aceace
I probably should add that the two dots were slightly staggered like military jets that fly in formation. They looked like about the size of a period ( . ) crossing a twelve inch circle. In reality that would make them quite large.

Yeah, I was just wondering that myself... How big is that "period" in reality if you scaled a 12" circle to the actual size of the moon? Wouldn't it be like a 500 mile in diameter UFO or much more?

Very cool experience! Thanks for sharing it. I would love to have a good telescope myself to view the skies; maybe someday...

[removed quote of entire previous post]



The scope I was using when you put your eye to the eyepiece the moon filled the whole mirror. The moon is 2160 miles around the equator so when it is full you see 1080 miles across (I think) so the dots were quite small and took 6 minutes to go across. Theres really no way to tell how big they were. A full moon will actually hurt your eyes a little from the bright sunlight reflecting off of it, through a scope. I actually had to back my eye off the eyepiece about every 2 minutes. Very bright. It was like watching a jet go across the sky in broad daylight at 30,000 feet they look very small. Hard to do a comparison.

Quoting - Please review this link

[edit on 13-5-2007 by 12m8keall2c]

I found something on the SMART-1 mission to the moon. It states orbit started in november 2004, a month later than your sighting.

NASA link for SMART-1

Doubt if it would be large enough to be viewed though.

Very cool,I had a scope when I was younger,never saw anything out of the ordinary.That was a good 30 years ago.I want to get another one.There are probably some good telescopes out there now that are more powerful than the one i had many moons ago.

I am so jealous.
I wish I had seen this.
I wish I had a telescope.

I'm so jealous.

Rivergoddess said: "I wish I had seen this"

Yes it does change the way you view the world. You ask yourself if its alien or military. Do we have a base there or do the aliens etc.

aceace

Moon filters are available to limit the brightness of the light when viewing the moon. I think they are just neutral density so as to not affect the color. That's if your eyepiece accepts threaded filters.

Great observation and thanks. Makes me think I need to start breaking the scope out on moonlit nights.

We have a 10" DOB and trust me what ever he saw must have been huge if it was visible and was orbiting the moon.
I therefore reserve judgement.
What he saw I do not know but nothing man made could be seen from earth on the moon with a 5"



reminds me when they said mars would be as big as the moon.


[edit on 15-5-2007 by junglelord]

Can you tell me your location and an approximate date and time? I want to do a little research and see if you saw Earth orbiting satellites crossing the moons disk. My theory is that you just so happened to catch three of our satellites crossing in front of the moon.

yes I should have finished my post...thats the one ovbious answer....
thanks...
I just laughed when several thought you could see a object that is orbiting the moon...like I said it would have to be huge to see it in a 5"

There is the Naval Ocean Surveillance System (NOSS) satellite formations, each having two or three satellites in close proximity to one another.

This could explain the two objects paired together. I don't think it would explain the six minute view plus six minute until next pass interval though. Circling the earth or moon in 12 minutes is fast.

Originally posted by roadgravel
I don't think it would explain the six minute view plus six minute until next pass interval though. Circling the earth or moon in 12 minutes is fast.

Plus being in the same place on each pass would be impossible every 6 minutes.

Nice post aceace, I will be definately getting out my telescope and camera this summer to view the moon on full moon nights. If I get any pics I will post them.

For those that doubt, I understand. But I know exactly what I saw. These were not earth orbiting satellites. They followed the exact same path I believe I counted 6 times. As far as my location: Southern Indiana Oct 28 or 29th,2004 about 10PM. The moon was in the southeast about midway up.

Here's the best I can do in trying to explain what I saw. Blowup the picture X4 and you can see the dots that traveled across which is close to what I saw. The arrow shows direction of travel through my scope.

[edit on 16-5-2007 by aceace]

[edit on 16-5-2007 by aceace]

Aceace, I believe you! Keep watching the moon this summer and I will do the same. I live in Ohio near the michigan line.

Do you have a camera that you can attach to your telescope? Pictures goes a long way around here. I have a camera so I will try to get some if I ever see this happen. The quality will not be that good but at least it will be proof.

Have you been looking for this alot since that night?