There REALLY IS something strange in western sky around sunset...!!!

Bluepill:

I have looked in the right spot in perfect conditions for an extended period and have seen nothing. You yourself have looked and have been unable to see it. Astromut has done a couple live webcasts and this object has been a no show. Many others have said they looked and saw nothing.

Now do we have a group of people who claim to see it day after day in relatively the same spot in the sky? Yes we do. The funny thing is if they are seeing it day after day, isn’t this the perfect situation to document the object? This wouldn’t even require any professional equipment. Just a photo from the same spot at the same time of the same object for an extended period would go a long way toward proving their claims. So far nobody has been able to do this for two days in a row as far as I know. If I am in error, please show me this imagery. What this tells me is that these claims are very tenuous. I mean if you are seeing it day after day, how hard is it to actually take a photo? Especially considering the importance of discovering an unknown object in our skies.

Nice try Setheory (no more name-calling from me) even if you all us the Bitch Kitty pic (are those cute pics issued to you all when you accept your "jobs")? At any rate, you talk about using the "quote" system so I assume you know how to use it. So when you quote my response to another poster about HIS questions, and then say my 12 questions were answered, it is mis-leading at best. Yes, one person (not any of your "clique") intelligently answered every question and never insulted nor resorted to name-calling. Look him up and emulate. So perhaps, I will send him the pictures and not post them here....

In the meantime, let's give YOU some new questions since YOU are 0 - 12 right now.

1)Can you answer any of the questions from the post which you dishonestly referenced above?

2) Can you explain why at least 2 people on this thread have reported your "New Venus"/"Permanent Contrail" vs. our "Unknown object of mass in the SW evening sky" does NOT EVEN GET RECOGNIZED/ACKNOWLEDGED by their sky apps?

3) Do you OWN an IRAS Telescope?

4) How often do you use/have access to an IRAS Telescope?

5) Can you prove that what EVERYONE on this thread (less 5 - 7 people) is seeing is NOT the object from the 1983 Washington Post article?

And let's be clear, for the record, I THEORIZE that it is. And my pictures damn near confirm it. And government shutdowns, NASA shutdowns, 7.1 EQ in Philippines yesterday, 7.7 EQ in Pakistan last week, don't make me theory less plausible, do they?

(Due to a lapse in Federal funding, the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program has suspended most of its operations. While the USGS will continue to monitor and report on earthquake activity, the accuracy or timeliness of some earthquake information products, as well as the availability or functionality of some web pages, could be affected by our reduced level of operation.)

I think SunnyDaze posted a photo from September 8th and then September 10th. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be ANY documentation of this appearing “every day”. Now I have had perfect viewing conditions 10 of the last 12 days and haven't seen it ever. It was absent "every day".

Your statement is false.

AMAZING!

I specifically referenced this post on another forum and invited people to look for the object in question in the location specified (20 degrees above the horizon, just before sunset, upper left of the sun).

One of the most active members on that forum is a habitual skeptic. Please understand: he is not a shill or a professional debunker, as he does not force his opinions or theories upon anyone and vacates threads when he realizes it's a waste of his time. And he's not condescending. So we're talking about an intelligent, but skeptical man with a background in applied sciences.

In any event, he attempted a viewing of the object on several occasions last week and accused me of directing people on a b.s. fishing expedition. Without having seen the object himself, he repeatedly insisted that what I and others on the forum (yes, others elsewhere have witnessed it) were describing was a contrail.

And then last night he posted this:

"Guys, it's time for me to eat a slice of humble pie. I went out right at sunset tonight, and I'll be damned. I actually saw something this time! Unfortunately I didn't have a camera, but I'll describe what I saw as best I can: Immediately after the sun-set, there was what appeared initially to be a con-trail to the due south. Except that this con-trail remained perfectly still. So instantly I was thinking it must be ISON! But why hadn't I seen it before?

Anyways I watched for about 15 minutes as this mysterious comet-like object gradually faded with the sunlight. By the time that Venus first became visible, it had vanished entirely. Were it not for that fact that this held absolutely perfectly still the entire time I watched it, I would have thought that it must be a contrail the way that it faded-away.

What it is? I can't say that I know as of yet. But there are things which I can say for sure:
It was only visible for a very brief period of time (about 15 minutes total).
it was only visible just after the sun had just passed over the horizon.
It does NOT set like the sun, it just gradually vanishes while maintaining precisely the same position in the sky.
It looks exactly like a contrail except that it is 100% stationary.
It looks exactly like a comet, except that it gets dimmer and dimmer as the sun sets, not brighter.
It is definitely not either a planet or a comet, because both would remain visible until setting, and would be more visible in the dark. But this does not set!
It's behavior is completely consistent with a geo-stationary orbit, except that its long shape doesn't make any sense.
This is something totally different from those "Sun dog" pictures which some people have captured.

So what is it? The hell if I know! But here is my best guess at this moment:
Perhaps there are a whole-bunch of satellites in geostationary orbit placed right next to each other? Perhaps they all rotate at the same rate to keep their solar-panels always pointed at the sun? And if so, then this could be a mirror effect as I had speculated before, except that the scale would be absolutely massive! Do I buy this idea? Frankly it seems at bit far-fetched. But I'm not familiar-enough with how satellites are positioned to know if this makes any sense or not.

But I am 100% sure that this is not a planet or a comet because both would only get brighter as the sun sets, not dimmer like this does."

NOTE: he has no idea what this object is, but he knows that it is NOT a contrail. And I think that's what most of us on this thread have pretty much determined.

I can't really argue with any of that logic. I have tried to look but cloud cover every damn time. But, yes, your point is well taken.

Also, if there is a "heavenly body" out there, which I presume would be traveling too, would people still be seeing it in the same location after say a month? I think not, but not sure about it.

Still, contrails? Sheesh...super nova maybe, comet maybe, mercury energized maybe, Carl Sagen's ghost maybe, but contrails...man, hard to get my mind around that.

But agreed, smart people are looking for it and nada...that says a lot to me.

Saw it from my rooftop in montreal last night..at sunset...thought it was a ufo then maybe a cloud....just left (north?) Of the sun.....looked kinda saucer-shaped... more kinda like an orange baguette or some shit....defintely hasnt always been there, thats for sure....

No the person's statement is not false. I have been seeing it every night too. I made the mistake of thinking it was just Venus ... BUT wondered why it was so much larger and nearer than I have ever seen Venus before in my entire life. It is not Venus ... unless the planet has drastically altered its orbit. Just don't know what it is.

Peace

I specifically referenced this post on another forum and invited people to look for the object in question in the location specified (20 degrees above the horizon, just before sunset, upper left of the sun).

One of the most active members on that forum is a habitual skeptic. Please understand: he is not a shill or a professional debunker, as he does not force his opinions or theories upon anyone and vacates threads when he realizes it's a waste of his time. And he's not condescending. So we're talking about an intelligent, but skeptical man with a background in applied sciences.

No the person's statement is not false. I have been seeing it every night too. I made the mistake of thinking it was just Venus ... BUT wondered why it was so much larger and nearer than I have ever seen Venus before in my entire life. It is not Venus ... unless the planet has drastically altered its orbit. Just don't know what it is.

Peace

So he has an “applied sciences” background and his first inclination is that it was Comet ISON? It is Magnitude 10, not even close to being naked eye visible. If he has anything more than a casual interest in the heavens, I would think he would be well aware of this.

I have a question for you, friend: a neighbor called me last night with the same questions (she and her husband have a perfect view of the horizon above our valley).

22372062:MV8yMzY5Njg5XzQwODAwODM3XzI5N0E0NkY4]


I have a question for you, friend: a neighbor called me last night with the same questions (she and her husband have a perfect view of the horizon above our valley). I had mentioned to her this strange star that some are seeing, and she instantly recalled observing it a couple of weeks ago. But she was wondering if it was Venus because she couldn't imagine anything else that bright in the sky, and in her 65 years of stargazing she had never seen Venus that bright. So it caught her attention. I asked her to use sky charts tonight to more accurately determine what she is seeing, and I may drive over to help her navigate the area. Could very well be that she is only seeing Venus.

So my question for you is this: was this the only bright object in the sky at the time? How do you know that it wasn't Venus? I am not doubting you, but I am wondering if/how you positively eliminated Venus as a candidate.

Having said that, even if what you and my neighbor saw was Venus, I think it is peculiar that so many people are suddenly noticing how bright the planet is. It's not as if the planet just showed up this year. We are talking about the morning and evening star - the most well-recognized object in the night sky other than the moon. And yet so many people are suddenly being struck by its brightness? Makes one wonder whether other planets may be experiencing the effects of "whatever" is out there.

So he has an “applied sciences” background and his first inclination is that it was Comet ISON? It is Magnitude 10, not even close to being naked eye visible. If he has anything more than a casual interest in the heavens, I would think he would be well aware of this.

Also way too bright for Venus.

It was far too big and close to be Venus, unless there is something really, really wrong with its orbit. Also way too bright for Venus. I am accustomed to seeing Venus and thus familiar with what it looks like. Take that image of Venus and make it 1,000 brighter (just a guess) and probably four times bigger and much, much closer and that what it looked like to me. It doesn't matter if you doubt me. It is either Venus with something really wrong or it is something else. Will be interesting to find out what it is.

To be fair, Astromut is not saying that. He is saying various contrails at the same relative time and same relative locations which I find to be equally incredible, that is to say impossible.

its called mysterious space cloud observed from the ISS. Ok so we have hundreds of people reporting phenomenon recently and the astronauts themselves

Sorry, forget the second part of your question. There was nothing as bright in the sky anywhere near it. There was the usually scattering of dimly seen stars.

I saw a bright object last night that looked like a star, but it just disappeared after watching it for a few minutes. It was the brightest star I have ever seen. Makes no sense that it is there and then gone. It shows up quit often these days. No it does not move like a plane either. It is bright white like a star.

Hey astromut. Why would a brighter than normal star go and disappear? It's not venus! I see it one minute then it's gone. It has been happening for a few weeks now. Then only camera I have is a dslr that ain't gonna catch it

Great then we should be able to astrometerically solve for said object.

Please post a pic.

Now we are clearly getting back to “Venus-like” reports.

Just saying….

I would love to answer that but would only be speculating. This is why I originally wanted Astromut to chime in here. He has a grasp of these things, it appears.
I do anesthesia for a living and haven't had physics in a long time. Not sure I would have been able to answer even then though.

I have a question for Cassandra.

Have you seen this object? NO. I live in a valley that is thick with woods, and our house lies at the base of a rather formidable mountain chain. My view of the horizon extends to the end of our driveway. ;-) Last week I attempted to drive to the highest point in our valley, a loal ski resort, with my star charts and astronomical binoculars (I couldn't haul my CPC 1100 11" Schmidt-Cassegrain with me - 80 pounds is too much to lug around comfortably). My plan was to arrive before sunset, but by the time I reached the summit clouds had started to roll in. And that is another problem with my location: it is frequently cloudy in the fall and winter. This is why I have relied on the observations of friends whom I have known for years - one in Seattle and one in Astoria, OR - who each saw this object recently for the first time in their lives. I intend to visit the neighbor I mentioned above tonight in order to determine whether she is actually seeing Venus. It will not be difficult, given that I know where it will be setting and when.

If so, have you taken photos? NO. See above.

If NO, then why not? NO. See above.

If YES, where are your photos? N/A

It was far too big and close to be Venus, unless there is something really, really wrong with its orbit. Also way too bright for Venus. I am accustomed to seeing Venus and thus familiar with what it looks like. Take that image of Venus and make it 1,000 brighter (just a guess) and probably four times bigger and much, much closer and that what it looked like to me. It doesn't matter if you doubt me. It is either Venus with something really wrong or it is something else. Will be interesting to find out what it is.