Blinking Light i witnessed last night, page 1

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Topic started on 4-9-2010 @ 05:51 AM by Haydn_17

Good morning ATS, last night me and my father went outside to look at the stars (very clear night) We watched for a couple of minutes then i decided to head back into the house and bring out my laser, (this laser is very powerfull, cost around £150 and can go for miles)

I made sure there was no air traffic in the sky, and proceeded to shine the laser into the air, then something startled me, around the area i shone it my dad shouted out "LOOK SOMETHING BLINKED BACK!!"

I blasted back the laser and then again i saw it blink, a white ball of light actually blinked back at me.

First of all we ruled out it was an airplane because it was still and then proceeded to move off slowly.

It was as high as when you see satellites going across the sky ( satellites are visible to the naked eye, they appear and very dull dots travelling across the sky)

Now i have a question, are any satellites fitted with a blinking white light?

Anything else this could of been?

It was one of the most strangest things i have ever witnessed

reply posted on 4-9-2010 @ 06:15 AM by ypperst

Thats awsome. I think I needs a laser too.

But I would also like to hear if satellites can blink?
Last weekend me and some friends were watching what we thouhgt was a satellite, but suddenly it would light up to a big lightning ball, and then get little again and keeps flying.

reply posted on 4-9-2010 @ 06:16 AM by Maybe...maybe not

reply to post by Haydn_17

Haydn 17.....

Could it have been something like an iridium flash?

wiki.answers.com...

You can check here:

www.heavens-above.com...

Kind regards
Maybe...maybe not

reply posted on 4-9-2010 @ 06:34 AM by GezinhoKiko

reply to post by ypperst

that sounds like a sattelite to me
i have watched many
they get very bright then will start to dim to a little dot
this is due to the suns reflection as the sattelite passes over
hope that helps for ya

reply posted on 4-9-2010 @ 06:38 AM by Haydn_17

reply to post by Maybe...maybe not

Very well could of been, thanks for the link!
It just startled me that as soon as the laser went up i saw a flash!

Strange indeed if it wasnt a satellite.

reply posted on 4-9-2010 @ 06:41 AM by Chadwickus

reply to post by Haydn_17

Maybe they were telling you to stop pointing your fracking laser into their eyes.

Ever thought of that?

reply posted on 4-9-2010 @ 06:46 AM by Droogie

Here's an animation of a satellite flare, are there any likeness to what you saw?

Source: Wikipedia: Satellite flare

And when exactly was it you went outdoors and saw this? Satellite flares usually occur one or two hours after sunset and before sunrise.

Nice coincidence though.

[edit on 4/9/10 by Droogie]

reply posted on 4-9-2010 @ 08:11 AM by dreams n chains

reply to post by Haydn_17

This is fantastic! I have seen exactly what you describe and have tried like crazy to figure out what it is. Very bright flash of white light... in the same spot... several minutes apart. Brighter than the brightest planet.

My sightings were frequent in May, June, July 2010. But I had seen one much, much further distant and dimmer two years ago that you could actually watch from around 11pm - 12:30am US Eastern Time. I posted about it back then here in a thread somewhere.

I am in Florida.

It is not an Iridium Flare or satellite. It is not lightning or airplanes, etc. It is not the space station. I've watched all those many times. It is not "twinkling" of stars. This is an unmistakable bright flash of light that is not moving and can be seen at different times through the night.

What surprises me is that this is not discussed more by more people. Although you will find many mentions of it here on ATS.... most people want to dismiss it as the things I've listed above. It is not any of those... you would know if/when you see it.

I know that when enough people see this and start talking about it... our governments will dismiss it as "whatever" and rationalize it away.

Watch for it people! It will really fascinate you and make you look up every chance you get.

Working the night-shift, I watch the skys every chance I get for the past several years. After having witnessed this thing.... I find myself trying to make even more opportunity to watch the sky. My co-workers have gotten used to it!

Yet to find any explanation as to what this is.

reply posted on 4-9-2010 @ 08:20 AM by Maybe...maybe not

reply to post by Droogie

Droogie.....

I've looked at that GIF a few times.

Are you sure that's what an iridium flash looks like?

I think it might look a little more like this:

Explanation:

"While hunting for meteors in the night sky above the White Mountains near Bishop, California, astrophotographer James Young instead captured this brilliant celestial apparition. Recorded near twilight on August 13, the bright streak is not the flash of a meteor trail but sunlight glinting from a satellite. The satellite, Iridium 52, is one of a constellation of Iridium digital communication satellites in Earth orbit known for producing stunning, predictable "flares" as they momentarily reflect sunlight from shiny antenna surfaces. For well placed observers, the peak brightness of this Iridium satellite flare reached about -6 magnitude, not quite as bright as the half illuminated moon. At magnitude 2.5, the bright star at the left is Alpha Pegasi, a star in the constellation Pegasus"

.

apod.nasa.gov...

What do you think?

Kind regards
Maybe...maybe not

reply posted on 4-9-2010 @ 08:21 AM by dreams n chains

Originally posted by Droogie
(snip)

And when exactly was it you went outdoors and saw this? Satellite flares usually occur one or two hours after sunset and before sunrise.

(snip)
[edit on 4/9/10 by Droogie]

This is a really good question and a key point for everyone to remember.

Not speaking for the OP... just my own experience... the brightest and most interesting one I saw was on my lunch break (night-shift) occurring between 1a.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Same spot.... unmoving..... brighter than any star.... flashed about eight minutes apart. At least a -8 magnitude. (this one was in May 2010, north florida, straight up)

reply posted on 4-9-2010 @ 08:23 AM by dreams n chains

reply to post by Maybe...maybe not

An Iridium Flare can look like either of those examples. When you are lucky.... they will be the second example.

reply posted on 4-9-2010 @ 11:07 AM by RelentlessLurker

i witnessed same thing last night, i happened to be firen mah newest lazer as well (1w blue arctic). around 10'sh california time.

this has actually happened to me on a few occasions. i actually got the idea from somebody else on ATS who had been doing it, they claimed to have worked out some kind of morse code with the blinks. they also say that whomever or whatever he/she was communicating with would also reply according to various times on the clock or something, ill look for the thread.

i have never gotten more than the initial reaction flash's, which dont seem to me like any of the pictures posted. it seems to be more of a directed light than illuminated light, i couldnt help but wonder if it was some kind of long distance directed flash for satelite pictures.

i can only speculate on what it could be, but it definatly seems to be associated with the lazer in my opinion and case.

me thinks they pjeer our deathrays.

reply posted on 4-9-2010 @ 08:55 PM by Chadwickus

reply to post by Maybe...maybe not

If you imagine the gif as a long exposure shot, then it would appear like the photo you've posted.

reply posted on 5-9-2010 @ 04:51 AM by Haydn_17

Originally posted by Droogie
Here's an animation of a satellite flare, are there any likeness to what you saw?

Source: Wikipedia: Satellite flare

And when exactly was it you went outdoors and saw this? Satellite flares usually occur one or two hours after sunset and before sunrise.

Nice coincidence though.

[edit on 4/9/10 by Droogie]