Defcon5

Sorry, new at this. What is a NEO??

A near earth Object, an asteroid, they can be vary bright, especially if they are close, or heading at us.

You know, I seem to remember a prediction about a NEO showing up in the sky over the Midwest in August, eventually entering atmosphere and hitting/detonating over the meditteranean in late august

(multiple thread tie in here)

Another thread mentions prophecies of an impending disaster on or around the 22nd. What do you think?

It would be cool if Earth captured a large asteroid in orbit. Better to be in orbit than smacked down on the surface!

If it where captured in orbit, it would be moving very fast across the sky, not slowly. If it is moving slowly it is heading twords us. You would not be able to see its movement which would be in the 10k/hr range and up, because the movement would be in your direction, you would only see an increase in size and brightness.

[edit on 8/20/2004 by defcon5]

Thats the last thing i wanted to hear about meteor hitting earth


[edit on 20-8-2004 by Die Trying]

Perhaps it is large and reflective enough to be seen while still approaching? Like a comet of highly reflective ice and rock? I doubt it would settle into an orbit that quickly without being observed.

I would rather wake up tomorrow and hear it was a balloon myself.....D

[edit on 8/20/2004 by defcon5]

given the choice between a b alloon and a NEO on a collision course, I'll take the balloon.

Between an unexplained object and a balloon, though,,,,,,


I think we all know what i'd pick

They do have a luminosity to them depending on what they are made up of, but your better off to find someone that knows more about astronomy then I do to ask.

Is this thing still visible?
How long has it been visible for?
Has it moved as much as the rest of the objects in the sky in the same amount of time?

Given the size in relation to the local items viewable in the first pic, I would assume it would have to be very large to be viewed in the daytime prior to atmospheric interaction.

of course, we all have read that the government, if they knew a collision was imminent, would probably not tell the general public, to save a widespread panic.

here's hoping for an ufo or balloon

You don't sound too optomistic there? Should I be worried?

Originally posted by defcon5
You don't sound too optomistic there? Should I be worried?

Well, that depends on how N this supposed EO is. If it is an NEO at all.

If it's a balloon, or other UFO, You're fine. If it's an NEO anyplace farther than say, the moon...Yes...worry. (I doubt that's the case)

'very' is a relative term. I'm talking maybe a few hundred to few thousand feet in diameter. If it has been viewable all day, and is in fact a NEO, then we have to assume something.

Since noone who has been viewing it has reported a change in size, then it would have to be 1) very far out still and 2) quite large to be coming straight at us and not change in percievable size.

Seriously, I doubt it is a NEO, but it's kind of fun (in a sadistic sort of way, I guess) to let the imagination run wild for a moment.

It would have to be in our atmosphere, it would still be very bright after the sun sets if it was way out there. It would have to be orange 3-5 hours after the clouds turn dark after the sun sets, think of how the moon looks at night.

Well if they shot anything back, I guess they'd nuke us if some one shot at them lol.

hadn't occured to me, XL5, but thanks. There's a load off everyone's mind, I'm sure. Yet another piece of evidence I have missed indicating it is too late in the evening for me and I must retire. I'll check back tomorrow and see if we've got an ufo or a balloon. Maybe by then we can have some closure.


(at least I won;t dream about a large rocky comet hitting Greece).

Night all

Muckwa,

Thanks for those details. I'm glad you were able to view it through magnification.

So it was rectangular with one end being larger than another? Hmnn... offhand I can't think of any balloons that are shaped that way. Was it 'boxy' (sharp corners) or more rounded at the ends (like a teardrop)? Did you notice anything that looked like lining on the edges or a logo?

Now... was it in the EXACT (within a few degrees) same position during this period? You said, if I remember correctly, that your neighbors had been watching it since 9am... I don't see how a balloon could stay in the exact same position for that length of time.

Speaking of position, I think a NEO would move relative to the observer's point on earth during the day. Think about how the stars and planets move at night... unless this thing was in geosynchronous orbit it (if it really were a celestial object like a NEO) should have moved.

To all who saw this... please email your observations to a major UFO research group (MUFON, NUFORC, CUFOS, etc).

Originally posted by everlastingnoitall
'very' is a relative term. I'm talking maybe a few hundred to few thousand feet in diameter. If it has been viewable all day, and is in fact a NEO, then we have to assume something.

Since no one who has been viewing it has reported a change in size, then it would have to be 1) very far out still and 2) quite large to be coming straight at us and not change in perceivable size.
.

Yes I can see your point, but if it is large and still far out, it would be visible over a wider area of view, not just one state. The size would increase slowly to the human eye, but would vary with speed.

Originally posted by XL5
It would have to be in our atmosphere, it would still be very bright after the sun sets if it was way out there. It would have to be orange 3-5 hours after the clouds turn dark after the sun sets, think of how the moon looks at night.

Well if they shot anything back, I guess they'd nuke us if some one shot at them lol.

I was just going by the picture that was posted, and the first reaction it gave me was that of an asteroid, to be bright enough to cast a halo like the one in the picture. It almost, looks like the kind of halo given off by the moon.

Like I said before, I am not an astronomer, and only know the basics on the subject, but was going from the description. The altitude, the various luminosity at different points on the object, the halo, the slow rotation, and the lack of discernable movement except in the direction of the horizon, the lack of any explanation from the media, etc…