Random Observation - anybody else seeing lone bright stars in strange places in the sky lately??

As already mentioned, observations like this are only noteworthy when the person either knows the stars, planets, sats... and/or uses a guide like a book, site or an app (stellarium is free for smartphones for example) if they're fuzzy on what's what.

That said, I've seen a rare couple lights up there that really shouldn't be where they were... checked resources in case memory was faulty (as it usually is at least a little) and still came up empty.

Twice or thrice the stationary objects eventually moved off... once at an amazing speed.

But I'm betting on Venus, Jupiter, Sirius or Betelgeuse as a first guess.

a reply to: freedom7

Boy OP

If you had money for 3rd gen night vision

You would see a highway up there

a reply to: freedom7

I occasionally see stars that don't jive with my understanding of normal astronomy. I usually just smile and wave to them. You know, just in case...

originally posted by: MensaIT3
a reply to: freedom7

Boy OP

If you had money for 3rd gen night vision

You would see a highway up there

Yep.

From wikipedia:



Challenged to explain sightings of unidentified lights and luminous phenomena in the sky around Piedmont, Missouri, Dr. Harley Rutledge decided to subject these reports to scientific analysis. He put together a team of observers with college training in the physical sciences, including a large array of equipment: RF spectrum analyzers, Questar telescopes, low-high frequency audio detectors, electromagnetic frequency analyzer, cameras, and a galvanometer to measure variations in the Earth's gravitational field. The resulting Project Identification commenced in April 1973, logging several hundred hours of observation time. This was the first UFO scientific field study, able to monitor the phenomena in real-time, enabling Rutledge to calculate the objects' actual velocity, course, position, distance, and size. Observation of the unclouded night sky often revealed "pseudostars" - stationary lights camouflaged by familiar constellations. Some objects appeared to mimic the appearance of known aircraft; others violated the laws of physics. The most startling discovery was that on at least 32 recorded occasions, the movement of the lights synchronized with actions of the observers. They appeared to respond to a light being switched on and off, and to verbal or radio messages. The final results of th
is project were documented in the 1981 book, Project Identification: The first Scientific Study of UFO Phenomena.