I work a monday-friday job and each morning i often get to see the sun rise as i goto work. So within the last week or two i've noticed twinkles of light in the sky within my plane of view. At first i thought it was just cause i was hungover or something, but it happened again and a few other mornings. like a star a speck of light would flash and when i moved my eyes to see where the light was it was already gone, it dosent happen any other time of the day. i dunno, just something i've noticed.

I can't attest that this is definitely true, but I learned it in college Astronomy, so... Your peripheral vision doesn't sort out as much color as your direct vision, and simultaneously lets in more generic light, so you can see more stars out the corner of your eyes than you can by directly looking at them. This is without telescopes, of course.

i dont even think its stars tho, like i cant see any stars at this time of day but i see these twinkles of light..

Originally posted by hautmess
i dont even think its stars tho, like i cant see any stars at this time of day but i see these twinkles of light..

Until you download the software and find out what was above you at the date/time, you can not rule out stars/planets.

I noticed your location is Vancouver. I know it has been unseasonably warm there and with the Olympics they are creating a lot of fake snow. Would it be possible that this is creating a lot of ice crystals in the atmosphere causing a "twinkling" effect?

I know what you're talking about, I started seeing them the past couple mornings.

Before going to sleep I always look out the window next to my bed, and right after waking I do the same. But two days ago I started seeing these colourful dots that come and go.

No, they are not stars, or floaters.

I suggest other members try it out.

I believe those might UFOs and starships which of course they can twinkles.

You might want to get your eyes checked to be safe:

What Causes Eye Flashes?
Ordinarily, light entering your eye stimulates the retina. This produces an electrical impulse, which the optic nerve transmits to the brain. The brain then interprets this impulse as light or some type of image.
If the retina is mechanically stimulated (physically touched), a similar electrical impulse is sent to the brain. This impulse is then interpreted as a "flicker" of light.
When the retina is tugged, torn or detached from the back of the eye, a flash or flicker of light commonly is noticed. Depending on the extent of the tear or detachment, these flashes of light might be short-lived or continue indefinitely until the retina is repaired.
Flashes (photopsia) also may occur after a blow to the head, often called "seeing stars."

Could be the sign of a torn or tearing retina.

This is a very common sighting for early morning, usually just before you pass through the terminator (the "terminator," of course, is the dividing line between night and day).

Typically, about an hour before you cross the terminator, if you are looking into the sky while facing East, you will catches glimpses of tiny, glowing objects — usually moving from South to North across the sky. They will move very quickly and are sometimes difficult to follow with the naked eye.

These are manmade satellites, reflecting the sunlight from beyond the terminator and down to your eyes.

Because they are so small and moving so rapidly (around 18,000 mph), and because their faint light is passing through the unevenly-heated atmosphere, they often appear to "twinkle" as they pass.

Not UFOs, I assure you. These are manmade satellites. A good time to look for them is between 4:30 AM and 6:00 AM.

— Doc Velocity

Originally posted by Doc Velocity
These are manmade satellites. A good time to look for them is between 4:30 AM and 6:00 AM.

— Doc Velocity

Too bad I wake up at 10:00 AM.

2nd line.

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i've never noticed them before, and i been taking this bus for a while and been living out here for a bit m its just recent and only in the morning around 7am.

and the lights are not moving, they just catch my eye and then when i look at the area of where it caught my eye there is nothing there. its also only in the sky, not in other areas of my plane of view.

Originally posted by hautmess
they just catch my eye and then when i look at the area of where it caught my eye there is nothing there.

Well, it's also common to see very faint stars with your peripheral vision that you cannot see with your focused vision.

The reason is simple.

Your peripheral vision is provided by the larger area of your retina, while your focused vision is comprised of a very small area of your retina, right where your optic nerve attaches to the eyeball.

The larger area of your retina captures a lot of very faint light, while your focused vision captures very little very faint light.

So, it's very common to see tiny little stars and constellations when you're not looking directly at them. However, when you turn your focused vision on those stars, they seem to vanish before your eyes.

— Doc Velocity

Originally posted by Doc Velocity

Originally posted by hautmess
they just catch my eye and then when i look at the area of where it caught my eye there is nothing there.

Well, it's also common to see very faint stars with your peripheral vision that you cannot see with your focused vision.

The reason is simple.

Your peripheral vision is provided by the larger area of your retina, while your focused vision is comprised of a very small area of your retina, right where your optic nerve attaches to the eyeball.

The larger area of your retina captures a lot of very faint light, while your focused vision captures very little very faint light.

So, it's very common to see tiny little stars and constellations when you're not looking directly at them. However, when you turn your focused vision on those stars, they seem to vanish before your eyes.

— Doc Velocity

why hasnt this ever happened before the last few weeks? and its not once in the morning but mutiple times

[edit on 23-2-2010 by hautmess]

If this is something new, you really need to have your eyes checked. You do not want to risk a detached retina. Believe me...

Originally posted by hautmess
why hasnt this ever happened before the last few weeks? and its not once in the morning but mutiple times

Hey, I have no idea. How old are you? I know that young people are always having revelations about things that older folks have known for years and take for granted.

For example, some time early last year, I think, there was this poster who came on ATS excitedly announcing that THE MOON HAS BEEN SIGHTED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT!!!



And this was, like, a 20-year-old guy, if I remember correctly. That guy just made a personal discovery, right, which makes the rest of us smile because, hey, everybody has to learn these things at some point.

— Doc Velocity

Originally posted by defcon5
You might want to get your eyes checked to be safe:

What Causes Eye Flashes?
Ordinarily, light entering your eye stimulates the retina. This produces an electrical impulse, which the optic nerve transmits to the brain. The brain then interprets this impulse as light or some type of image.
If the retina is mechanically stimulated (physically touched), a similar electrical impulse is sent to the brain. This impulse is then interpreted as a "flicker" of light.
When the retina is tugged, torn or detached from the back of the eye, a flash or flicker of light commonly is noticed. Depending on the extent of the tear or detachment, these flashes of light might be short-lived or continue indefinitely until the retina is repaired.
Flashes (photopsia) also may occur after a blow to the head, often called "seeing stars."

Could be the sign of a torn or tearing retina.

The flicker of light referred to hear is not on a small scale and you would know if you had a torn retina etc because it is also extremely painful and difficult to look at light in general and yuo begin to lose your vision (blurred then gone)

I'd say daytime Iridium Flares are a likely explanation, as they "flare up" in magnitude before they decrease again a few seconds later.