Ok, so I recognized a UFO that's been in orbit for at least a couple of years. Sure plenty of people say it's an LED kite, or a helicopter, or a remote control plane, or a star, but I trust my own eyes. Now there are many others coming forth with their videos of the same thing as well. There's two videos so be sure to watch the first and the second, and you will want to go to YouTube to view it full screen.
I have seen quite a few ufo videos, and that is the first one that looks so colorful. My first thought was LED kite, but I kept looking at it, and it certainly can pass as some kind of craft. I'm a believer. This is just the first one I've seen that looks like it isn't going for total disguise.
Sirius looks similar to this, but it seems a lot brighter than this. Have you looked at Sirius to compare? When I've looked at Sirius through my telescope, it typically oscillates between blue and red, though (like a giant police colored binary star). It also looked totally crazy, totally different than other stars I've looked at before. The image you show looks like it has more color range than Sirius, though.
I have a 127mm telescope but only 1 lens that doesnt zoom too far (the moon takes up about 90% of the eye relief when focused).
How come you know it has been there for a couple years?
have you seen it before?
it looks beautiful, like a crystal or a prism that breaks light.
How far away from you was it, what would you estimate?
(02-20-2012, 11:29 AM)Gribbons Wrote: [ -> ]I have seen quite a few ufo videos, and that is the first one that looks so colorful. My first thought was LED kite, but I kept looking at it, and it certainly can pass as some kind of craft. I'm a believer. This is just the first one I've seen that looks like it isn't going for total disguise.
The shape is deceiving as the collimation (calibration) of the telescope is off.
(02-20-2012, 01:33 PM)DuncanIdahoTPF Wrote: [ -> ]Sirius looks similar to this, but it seems a lot brighter than this. Have you looked at Sirius to compare? When I've looked at Sirius through my telescope, it typically oscillates between blue and red, though (like a giant police colored binary star). It also looked totally crazy, totally different than other stars I've looked at before. The image you show looks like it has more color range than Sirius, though.
I have a 127mm telescope but only 1 lens that doesnt zoom too far (the moon takes up about 90% of the eye relief when focused).
So how do you know it is Sirius? and that's not just what you've been told so you write it off?
(02-20-2012, 03:05 PM)Meerie Wrote: [ -> ]How come you know it has been there for a couple years?
have you seen it before?
it looks beautiful, like a crystal or a prism that breaks light.
How far away from you was it, what would you estimate?
It's been in the back of my mind for some time. As well, you can find videos of this same object dated 2009. None before that though. How far? In space.
Because I have 2 astronomy apps on my iphone (that has GPS and motion capabilities, so you can just point the phone at the object you see to identify it) that
both said it was the binary system Sirius that is very close to our Sol system. One is free one is not, and are made by different companies. I was simply making sure you knew the basic tracking of stars / constellations to make sure it was not the Sirius system that looks very similar. Sirius is also the brightest star object in the sky besides the sun / moon.
Its also where all the new energies coming in and getting routed through that reach us, according to some channeled sources (although Ra mentions them briefly, its nothing specific) . So its not just another "star" to me.
(02-20-2012, 03:05 PM)Meerie Wrote: [ -> ]How come you know it has been there for a couple years?
have you seen it before?
it looks beautiful, like a crystal or a prism that breaks light.
How far away from you was it, what would you estimate?
It is a very cool video Peregrinus. What does it mean for you?
To me, it means nothing but another object in the sky that will never satisfy my curiosity.
Would be interested in comparing two side-by-side videos shot concurrently. But the other camera having better light-gathering capability, and higher encoding bit rate (assuming the blockiness is due to low-bitrate encoding mode and it is indeed still on optical zoom).
That way, the artifacts from the cheap Sony DSC-N1, which contribute to the video appearance (rainbow effect, blockiness, etc) can be determined (and you have a better video).
Wait, this is most likely just distortion due to crappy camera and telescope combo. Can easily confirm by providing equatorial coordinates for others to image.
I saw something just like this in the east sky other night. Wondered what the heck it was as I drove home.
When I got home I took out the binoculars, and it became a solid white light. What was weird is that every time my eyes would shift position the light would flash again. Almost as if there was a frame rate thing going on, like the rainbow effect with LCD projectors.
I looked at Sirius tonight at midnight southwestern US and sirius is approx 218 degrees SW. Which direction are you seeing this object?
Crazy, my friend in Vancouver was just telling me him and those in the house (it's a whole group of indigos) all saw something like this, except it was just two orbs flying around eachother.
I'm in Edmonton, so maybe I've seen this, might be that one weird light that always seems to linger.
(02-20-2012, 09:36 PM)zenmaster Wrote: [ -> ]Would be interested in comparing two side-by-side videos shot concurrently. But the other camera having better light-gathering capability, and higher encoding bit rate (assuming the blockiness is due to low-bitrate encoding mode and it is indeed still on optical zoom).
That way, the artifacts from the cheap Sony DSC-N1, which contribute to the video appearance (rainbow effect, blockiness, etc) can be determined (and you have a better video).
Wait, this is most likely just distortion due to crappy camera and telescope combo. Can easily confirm by providing equatorial coordinates for others to image.
The Sony DSC-N1 was not a cheap camera, in fact costing me more than $450. At 8.1 megapixels, it still outperforms many more expensive and high pixel cameras today, having full manual capabilities similar to SLRs. I bought it because I wanted the capability but not the bulk. The artifacts were not due to the camera, but came into existence when I added the YouTube annotations. If you view the original video, there are no artifacts. The zoom goes higher than 3x, but that is the extent of the optical zoom, and as such, was as high as I zoomed it.
(02-26-2012, 04:18 PM)Peregrinus Wrote: [ -> ]The Sony DSC-N1 was not a cheap camera, in fact costing me more than $450.
Look, it has an extremely tiny lens with poor light-gathering capability - it's $120 now. You're not getting "8.1 megapixels", you're getting 0.3 megapixels. The aperture is f5.4. For the purpose it was to be used (night time, on high zoom), you want a comparison camera with better optics and CCD, which at that distance, will show a difference. That difference can be used to determine real-vs artificial aspects of the object.
(02-26-2012, 04:18 PM)Peregrinus Wrote: [ -> ]If you view the original video, there are no artifacts.
Wrong.
Sirius or some unknown object, either way, I believe we seeing the same thing in the sky, correct? My wife noticed this object several months ago and pointed it out because it was especially bright / colorful. I have been keeping an eye on it ever since. I grabbed my telescope and the video you posted is precisely what I saw. It appeared ring shaped since I hadn't figured out the focus lens on my telescope.
Actually it was quite embarrassing how I found there was a focus knob when I was attempting to view Jupiter at my in-laws house and show off my telescope. Everything appeared in rings, so I thought my telescope was broken and told my family this. I figured it out a few minutes later and decided to tell them so I could show them Juipiter / its moons. (they made fun of me in a light-hearted sort of way
) I orginally thought the knob was just another knob to attach the various components together for quick / easy removal, as there are several others with the same color.
Anyways, I found a very similar video to yours that also is skeptical about it being Sirius. Maybe you should see if the user that posted it knows anything new about it since he posted the video 2 years ago.
What exactly makes you think this is a UFO and NOT Sirius? Have you looked into any currently widely accepted information on Sirius to look for holes in that story? Like for example, the most widely accepted scenarios/theories on the moon's formation / origin have huge holes in them. Is it the coloring? Or maybe the variation in brightness / coloring, depending on the night that makes you believe this?
Just FYI, I do in fact believe there are UFO sightings, I just haven't seen anything myself personally. But I am not skeptical towards UFO sightings in general. I actually would be open to believing this is a UFO since when its bright/colorful, it looks like NOTHING else in the night sky that I've looked at through a telescope. But first I feel it is necessary to provide at least some logic on why you think this is NOT Sirius.
(02-26-2012, 08:35 PM)zenmaster Wrote: [ -> ] (02-26-2012, 04:18 PM)Peregrinus Wrote: [ -> ]If you view the original video, there are no artifacts.
Wrong.
? How can you say such. Have you seen the original video?
I accept your argument on it being not the greatest camera, but it heavily outperformed a 10.1 megapixel camera I bought for someone else. So be it, have your say, I thank you for your contribution.
(02-27-2012, 03:27 AM)DuncanIdahoTPF Wrote: [ -> ]Just FYI, I do in fact believe there are UFO sightings, I just haven't seen anything myself personally. But I am not skeptical towards UFO sightings in general. I actually would be open to believing this is a UFO since when its bright/colorful, it looks like NOTHING else in the night sky that I've looked at through a telescope. But first I feel it is necessary to provide at least some logic on why you think this is NOT Sirius.
After personally had a 300' silver disc shaped UFO close encounter in the 1970's, I'm a believer. As for this, you said yourself it looks nothing like any other object in the sky. Sirius is a star, so then why wouldn't it look like other stars? Why do you doubt yourself when you see the difference with your own eyes?
Because I can think logically how the object pictured could be a binary system that has blue star and a red star, and as they rotate, you get the full spectrum of visible colors, thus giving it its quite odd appearance. Also, Sirius A is 1.7 the diameter, and 25 times the brightness of Sol, and is only 8.5 light years away.
P.S. I wish I could have a UFO sighting like you mentioned, Peregrinus
It wouldn't move that quickly to our visible eyes because of the distance...
(03-06-2012, 02:18 AM)Peregrinus Wrote: [ -> ] (02-26-2012, 08:35 PM)zenmaster Wrote: [ -> ] (02-26-2012, 04:18 PM)Peregrinus Wrote: [ -> ]If you view the original video, there are no artifacts.
Wrong.
? How can you say such. Have you seen the original video?
As I said, that camera is low resolution and low bitrate. That's just the digital side. On the lens side we have the obvious artifacts due to being a poor gatherer of light. Again, this wasn't pointed out for you to defend your purchase, it was for comparison to a more appropriate camera.
I stumbled back on this thread when performing a search. I can say with confidence that I'm over 99% certain this is Sirius or another bright star. When stars are lower on the horizon, they "twinkle" due to atmospheric disturbances. If Peregrinus would have observed the star for a few more hours, it would have gotten higher in the sky and twinkle less and less (which I have personally observed many times including Sirius). I could identify the star with 100% accuracy if Peregrinus would have shared where in the sky it was located and what time. I know exactly where Sirius is located and the surrounding constellations. There would be no mistaking it for any other celestial object.
As I mentioned a few years ago, I saw Sirius low in the sky and wondered what the hell I was looking at. That was actually what initially got me interested in astronomy. Now that I have several years of astronomy under my belt, I felt I should share this to clear up any doubt with this particular 'UFO sighting'. I am not trying "debunk it" to be a jerk; I just want to set the record straight to actually help the overall credibility of other REAL UFO sightings. People who try to carpet debunk ALL UFO sightings like to point to incidents like this as evidence that all UFOs are just uneducated people mistaken natural phenomenon, which I of course don't agree with. So IMO, debunking something that is obviously not a UFO helps the overall 'movement'.