Sky flashes in Northern Quebec, CA

I'm up North at a cottage and I pay close attention to the moving stars phenom so I watch the sky a lot when it is clear. I witnessed some flashes of the whole sky that cannot (at least to my knowledge) be explained by lightning. Last night at approximately 9.30pm EST I went outside with my bro and as I was showing him the big dipper and some other constellations he said hey did you see everything flash? and I said no not at all and didn't think much of it. Then around 1 min later I saw it, the whole sky end to end flashed. By this I mean there were no clouds, the sky was completely clear and the whole sky light up for a split second. Later we kept on watching and it happened multiple times, but at bigger and bigger intervals. I stopped watching at 10.30pm and the interval of flashes was >5min. There's no big city around, it is a remote area in the mountains and the houses are very dispersed. The closest city is 30km away. So no fireworks (plus when there are fireworks in the distance only that part of the sky would flash). I dont think it is lightning either because I think only the sky in the direction of the storm would light up. Please let me know if I'm mistaken.. Also there were never multiple consecutive flashes like lightning with different luminosity. The flashes were always of the same luminosity, a flash would make the sky glow light blue very fast. I did not see any UFO activity, apart for the general satellites flying in straight line. At some point we saw something like a star flash (flash at one specific point) but it could be a satellite rotating and reflecting the sun directly. I didn't get a good look at it so I can't say what it was.

Has anyone seen this type of thing? Is this typical of lightning in the distance when the sky is clear?

Don't know if this is related to the long 4-5 sec white sky that occurred in Toronto a few days ago.

Hmmm seem to be more and more stories of this type popping up. I wonder what is going on. Maybe something to do with the sun or something strange happening to the atmosphere. Can't wait till all the ufo conspiracy, government conspiracy and religious nuts show up. Thier theories are funny

reply to post by tedpi


I was going to post... last night in LA there was a Huge cloud over my house that lit the everything up like lightning - but did not move for hours, no rain, no thunder and seemed timed... Anyways it was weird and a first in my experience here.
The intervals of the flashes is what made me step outside.

Can lightning exist without thunder???

Those are meteor showers which are quite common this time of the year as the earth passes through the dust trail of comet swift-tuttle.

You were lucky enough to view some.:

Here's a link.

www.nasa.gov... html

I am sorry i would like to write a note that the sky lighting up and it being a 'werd thing' is just ridiculous. I live in Toronto and last night i saw the same thing - 'lightning' Lighning can very well light up the whole sky, something i have seen millions of times.
Lighning can be seen with no clouds present also.

I came across this site by accident and read through some posts, i feel that too many people try to take a 'normal' thing and make it into a 'strange phenomena'.

What was seen is something called 'lightning'.

Can lightning exist without thunder???

No, it can not. Here is a good link that might offer some insight into lightening.

starryskies.com...

I'm in Southern California and haven't noticed anything like that but I'll be paying more attention to the sky at night!

Jemison

I'm in Eastern Quebec on the Atlantic Coast and a couple of summers ago I saw a HUGE flash in the sky at night, not far from the Big Dipper (from my perspective). By huge I mean, like hold your hand out arm's length in front of your face. That's the size of the light streak I saw, but it stuck around for a few minutes before changing to normal Aurora patterns and movements.

Check to see if the Aurora was peaking down to your location just in case for that date.

Hey Tedpi, Im also from Up North and have seen what your talking about. This has been happening all over the place. I was also on a road trip a few weeks ago in the Eastern Townships and saw the same thing. At first I thought it was lightning but I noticed that there was not a cloud in sight and all the stars were out. It made me think of a huge camera flash. What I find kinda freaky is that My Mom is 62 and has never seen anything like this before in all her years. I bet this has something to do with some new technology there testing in the atmosphere or in space. Maybe there programing that Hologram Satelite and scaning over different places on the map to get ready for Project Blue Beam in 2012??? Who knows all I know is that thats the first time Ive ever seen anything like that.

Well my 9 year old and I last night at around the same time (he was stalling from going to bed and off to get a glass of water as he charmed me with his silver toungue until I caught on) saw a brilliant flash as I was standing at my front door smoking and he was passing by to the kitchen, we later chalked it up to the light from the porch as he crossed its path.

I am not discounting your experience just though it was a similarity to my experience last night...

yes i seen what your talking about.
flashes in the sky to my west,
and from where i am that would be south of Quebec.

wasnt a cloud in the sky for once one night and i was out looking at stars myself and thats when i seen the blue flashes
it lit the night sky up all the way across from west to east at intervals

i was searching the sky because last month i seen a star moving in small circles then it would go way up to a faded blur and down again like a yoyo
i observed it through 10X50 binoculars for about 30 minutes and after that night is when it starting this constant rain pattern we been getting.

this was to my northwest and pretty much looked to be over Quebec

but for the last month here it has been constantly raining with lighting
so i dont rule out thats what the blue flashes were,
just another approaching storm from the west

the moving star is another story but a military friend told me it was a satellite,
but it wasnt moving across the sky like ive seen tumblers do.
it had what appeared to be a lighted upside down triangle on the top
as if it were emitting something out of the top and it was reflecting from the brightness of the star because the triangle was semi transparent
like a small white pointer pointing downward ontop of the star

it was struggling to keep a sort of station keeping place in the sky and would zip a bit back and forth then do some more circles and go way up and back down

i havent had a clear view of the night sky till yesterday and its no longer there
like i say its been raining for about a month here and cloudy all this time

so thats something for you to watch for although it made no flashes
it was just strange

reply to post by The_Crimson_King



Hi Crimson King,

I reside in Sherbrooke, in the Eastern Townships. Where were you at the time of your 'sighting'? I've seen auora borealis this far south before, but usually in the fall months only. I haven't noticed anything unusual as of late.

Regards,

I saw these flashes the 1st of Aug in Way's Mills Quebec, I was playing a show at Shazam Fest and this went on all night. My Mom lives in Ste-Adele and she said that she saw it too. Thats pretty weird cause thats like 4-5h Away from there.

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


I have seen these shooting stars when I look East, they leave beautiful white trails. But the flashes do not occur when I see shooting stars. Are you sure a falling star can light up the whole sky like that?

I haven't seen a lot of shooting stars. I don't recall them lighting up the sky like lightening.

Troy

[edit on 16-8-2008 by cybertroy]

Originally posted by Jemison

Can lightning exist without thunder???

No, it can not. Here is a good link that might offer some insight into lightening.

starryskies.com...

I'm in Southern California and haven't noticed anything like that but I'll be paying more attention to the sky at night!

Jemison

Uhhhh YES it can

see previous post in another thread

www.abovetopsecret.com...

These threads are getting ridiculous. If there were indeed some kind of meteorological event at the rate it is being reported here on ATS then I'm sure we'd know about it through MSM.

From your own source ......

but in lowlands or at sea, ten miles is the limit. So you are seeing the lightning but are unable to hear the thunder associated with it due to distance.

[edit on 16-8-2008 by Tuebor]

Last night in Orange County there was lightning for me out in the West. The sky was absolutely clear in three directions and there was low cloud cover to the west and I could still see the lightning with no sound.

I read something about a propane explosion, or something like that. I wonder if it's related somehow.

I live in southwest CT, eastern atlantic seaboard. Love astronomy, and have sudied it since i was 10, 33 now. Seen plenty of meteors, af few comets, and meteor showers, in my lifetime.....and weird lightning. Years ago, at night, in december, it got unseasonably warm, this is about 10 years ago...around 10 pm. Drving home form work, clouds, i saw quite a few flashes in the sky, resembling lighting, but the glow was lime green. Seen violet, and magenta/hot pink flashes too. Usualy, lightning is white or blue.
IN response, it is possible, the one who made this post...maybe you saw 'heat flashes' very common in hte summer months, when its very humid out, or if its humid, and suddenly cools down quick...ive seen heat flashes as well...(heat flahses are blueish/white, and light up the sky, but thiers no lightning)...
Maybe this is what you saw? Meteors, comets cannot light up a sky so it would flash...imposssible! Only way that would happen, is if it was half a mile wide, and exploded in upper atmosphere, which would obviously result in city wiped of map.

i]reply to post by tedpi


Sounds like something I myself have seen,

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Reminds me of about a month ago, we had the same thing roll overtop of thunder bay, ontario... was farly early still 8 or 9 ish... no clouds, no sounds of thunder, stars clearly out there, but as I was sitting in the back tryin to squint, get the details of whats goin on in the sky, BAM big flashes, one after another, but still no noise at all...

My rents said its just an electrical storm, but still you think their would be some thunder to go with the flashing, this went on for about an hour...

If I only would have my new celly at the time I could have recorded it, but really it looked alot like lightning without the noise, just the sky lighting up every 20 seconds for roughly an hour...

[edit on 16-8-2008 by Spock Shock]