![]() ![]() Large, round objects in the sky can be strange-looking. … an apparent planet or stationary bright object seen in broad daylight. Image via Eddie Irizarry.Ītmospheric balloons. A view using a telescope revealed it was this balloon from Google’s Project Loon. An apparent static bright dot that was visible in daylight, was later confirmed to be a globe. If you are fortunate enough to witness this kind of flash in the sky, grab your binoculars! Magnification may confirm that the object is indeed moving slightly instead of remaining static. To the unaided eye, the subsequent flashes may give the impression that they are originating from the same area of the sky. This is the same principle that occurs when a distant airplane appears to be static as it moves towards you. This rare occurrence is possible if the reflecting rocket body is more or less moving towards, or more or less departing, Earth as it pursues its stretched-out (elliptical) orbit. How does it happen? Depending on the location and perspective of the observer, the erratic flashes of the rocket body from a geosynchronous satellite might appear to originate from an apparent static place in the sky. It might produce some peculiar flashes, which might be visible from Earth. Instead of having a circular orbit it will have a highly elliptical (elongated) orbit. After the launch of this sort of satellite, the rocket body that carried the satellite to orbit will also remain orbiting our planet. How is this possible? Geosynchronous satellites need to be placed in a very high orbit, some 22,200 miles (35,727 km) above Earth’s surface. As a rocket body tumbles in orbit, it may be visible as a dim moving “star” that might produce bright flashes as various sides of the tumbling object are exposed to sunlight.Īn interesting sighting of this kind is a flash that appears to come from a static point in the sky. After launching a satellite, most rocket bodies continue to orbit Earth for weeks, months or even years. Used rocket bodies – tumbling objects orbiting our planet – also produce flashes in our night sky. This is a SpaceEx Falcon 9 launch in December 2017 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, as seen from Los Angeles, California. This can occur if an observer is fortunate enough to see a spacecraft just after being launched you may be seeing one rocket stage separating from another, or the ignition of a new stage. Some observers have seen a slow-moving object displaying a strange single or double trail, which may even change its appearance over the moments you observe it. Some labeled it as a UFO when posting photos to Twitter or Facebook, but others knew it was an Atlas V rocket launched from Cape Canaveral. On the morning of September 2, 2015, many people in Miami, Florida, looked up to catch a glimpse of the strange moving light seen above. Going fast!įor your reference, here’s a list of sky objects people frequently mistake for UFOs.įlash in the sky: Rocket lights up South Florida. That’s a trend we hope continues.ĮarthSky 2021 lunar calendars now available! They make great gifts. In 2020, the bump-up in UFO reports is also an indication that people have had more time to observe the sky. Lens flares – internal reflections within the camera – are often the culprit. Many have been attributed to most people’s relative inexperience with interpreting cell phone camera shots. ![]() During the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, for example, there’s been an increase in perceived UFO sightings in many countries. On the other hand, members of the general public do report UFOs. Because they know what sorts of objects appear in both the daytime and nighttime sky, they’re able to identify most sightings fairly quickly, no matter how strange they may appear. But professional and amateur astronomers don’t usually observe any Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). If an alien spaceship were to appear in Earth’s sky, it’s likely it’d be seen first by those who spend a lot of time gazing upwards: astronomers. An experimental rocket test over Norway in 2009, which triggered many UFO reports. ![]()
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