Strange lights in the sky

**Richard** · January-01-13, 10:29 PM

Has anybody noticed strange lights in the sky at night up there?

I saw them tonight coming in off of the coast three separate ones high up and orange in color moving faster then a passenger liner but slower then a military fighter at cruising speed the orange glow looks kinda like the fighter afterburners but you hear no noise and is consistent.

Google shows 53,000 searches for the 12/31 date in connection with. So it seems to be widespread maybe it is safer up there?

**rb336** · January-01-13, 10:43 PM

it's the quadrantid meteor shower

**MikeM** · January-02-13, 02:59 AM

Venus rising.

**Pam** · January-02-13, 10:31 AM

I thought this was going to be a Gannon thread.

**Honky Tonk** · January-02-13, 10:57 AM

Is anybody else being kept awake @ night by lights in the sky?

**Zacha341** · January-02-13, 11:16 AM

Perhaps but certainly not street lights...

... I was reading that we had a big meteor shower recently, but not sure if it was visible this part of the country?

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

Is anybody else being kept awake @ night by lights in the sky?

**Honky Tonk** · January-02-13, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

Perhaps but certainly not street lights...

... I was reading that we had a big meteor shower recently, but not sure if it was visible this part of the country?

Yes, it was visible, and certain ones will look exactly like what the OP described. It has to do with how they hit the earth's atmosphere. My post was just a sad attempt @ humous based on Gannon's strange noise thread.

**rb336** · January-02-13, 11:50 AM

The meteor shower is visible planet-wide, and is known for some spectacularly bright meteorites

It should peak tomorrow/saturday

**Gistok** · January-02-13, 12:45 PM

I supposed with streetlights out so often in Detroit... the heavens sparkle quite brilliantly in the nighttime sky....

**Richard** · January-02-13, 06:15 PM

Originally Posted by rb336

it's the quadrantid meteor shower

Nice read but that is supposed to start on the third my friend saw 6 on the eve of the first the three I saw were on the eve of the second they came in from the coast above McDill AFB but I am in their flight path so they did not originate from McDill these came in south two split off northeast and one went south east direction.

I guess we will never know anyways.

Meteors would stay in a straight line?

**Jimaz** · January-02-13, 06:37 PM

Originally Posted by Richard

... Meteors would stay in a straight line?

Definitely. Meteors don't change course abruptly or in different directions.

**rb336** · January-02-13, 07:06 PM

Meteors actually might NOT stay in a straight line due to shape, composition, etc. There are also atmospheric phenomena that can cause apparent shifts to direction

**Richard** · January-02-13, 08:26 PM

Cell phone pic , not showing much ,clear sky no clouds no stars .Never seem to have a telescope handy when you need one.

**JBMcB** · January-03-13, 10:22 AM

Also, two meteors with intersecting paths could look like a single meteor changing direction. I've seen this several times during meteor showers - unless the sky is completely clear it's difficult to tell what's going on. It's much more difficult with all the light pollution in southeast Michigan.

And, as several others have pointed out, it could be any number of atmospheric effects plus natural or man-made light. Heated exhaust from home furnaces or industry can make stationary lights look like they are moving from a distance.

**Meddle** · January-03-13, 10:54 AM

Maybe it was the Hartmann and GoLeft threads exploding from being overstuffed and unread.

**black gold man** · January-03-13, 08:53 PM

I fallowed the lights in the sky, i asked what is this place, man replied titty bar.

**rb336** · January-03-13, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

Maybe it was the Hartmann and GoLeft threads exploding from being overstuffed and unread.

closing in on 100,000 views is unread?

**coracle** · January-05-13, 07:09 AM

Originally Posted by rb336

closing in on 100,000 views is unread?

This doesn't mean it's read. I just took a look a the Thomas Hardon thread and see that the only postings come from the original poster himself. Maybe he spends the rest of his time "clicking" up "views" to give the impression somebody else is interested; to give himself an excuse to keep posting.
If not, here's no discussion on the thread so presumably the 100,000 "viewers" have found what Hardon has to say is irrelevant.

**rb336** · January-05-13, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by coracle

This doesn't mean it's read. I just took a look a the Thomas Hardon thread and see that the only postings come from the original poster himself. Maybe he spends the rest of his time "clicking" up "views" to give the impression somebody else is interested; to give himself an excuse to keep posting.
If not, here's no discussion on the thread so presumably the 100,000 "viewers" have found what Hardon has to say is irrelevant.

ah, so childish. 100,000 people check in with Thom because of his well thought out takes on issues, and jimaz is providing us a service. If they found Hartman irrelevant they wouldn't keep going back to those links and it wouldn't be anywhere near 100K views

**Meddle** · January-05-13, 10:00 AM

A 'service' would be for Admin to delete both threads.

**coracle** · January-05-13, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by rb336

ah, so childish. 100,000 people check in with Thom because of his well thought out takes on issues, and jimaz is providing us a service. If they found Hartman irrelevant they wouldn't keep going back to those links and it wouldn't be anywhere near 100K views

So gullible. Watch for strange lights in the sky.

**rb336** · January-05-13, 07:16 PM

Originally Posted by coracle

So gullible. Watch for strange lights in the sky.

Do you know the definition of gullible? thought not. Two more idiots for my ignore list

**313WX** · January-05-13, 08:31 PM

Originally Posted by Pam

I thought this was going to be a Gannon thread.

Meh, weed smokers always see lights in the sky. It's nothing strange to them.

[[shits and giggles Gannon)

**MikeM** · January-05-13, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by Richard

Has anybody noticed strange lights in the sky at night up there?

I saw them tonight coming in off of the coast three separate ones high up and orange in color moving faster then a passenger liner but slower then a military fighter at cruising speed the orange glow looks kinda like the fighter afterburners but you hear no noise and is consistent.

Nice read but that is supposed to start on the third my friend saw 6 on the eve of the first the three I saw were on the eve of the second they came in from the coast above McDill AFB but I am in their flight path so they did not originate from McDill these came in south two split off northeast and one went south east direction.

First, the cruising speed of a fighter and a passenger liner are practically the same. Second, that picture sucks. Third, could you be a little more precise with your description?

How far above the horizon were they when they first appeared?
How high when they disappeared?
How long did it take them to travel that distance?
In what direction were they when you first saw them?
What direction were they when you lost sight of them?
Where are you observing them from?
What time are you seeing these lights?
How close together were the lights?

You say "they came in from the coast above McDill AFB" [[BTW, it's MacDill) which is on the gulf coast side of Florida. In other words, they appeared in the west, flying east? But in the next sentence fragment you say they came in from the south, and that one went southeast? In other words, it nearly reversed course?

**Richard** · January-06-13, 02:45 AM

Originally Posted by MikeM

First, the cruising speed of a fighter and a passenger liner are practically the same. Second, that picture sucks. Third, could you be a little more precise with your description?

Sorry about the pic all I had was Apple and no telescopic lenses.But you are seeing it exactly as I did black sky and they were like I said a definite distinctive reddish orange which is why they were strange. and I have seen pretty much all of the afterburners and this was not.On a clear crisp night you can also at least hear some sound from the international flights that have a higher flight pattern then regular but these there was no sound at all No sonic booms from hitting mach nothing.

I was naval air wing so I am familiar with cruising speed of fighters and passenger liner we are in the flight path from international flights so they come from the sea and split to all points so I see them regularly the same with pretty much most military aircraft,mail run with C130s everyday at 5 pm,troops being back from mid east ,Fighter groups ,Mc Dill is command central for the mid east so lots of air traffic.

How far above the horizon were they when they first appeared?

Dark,clear sky little moon no distinguishable horizon.

How high when they disappeared?

The same height as they flew in which was above the normal international flight paths.

International traffic is the highest then we have domestic passenger lower, then military then local all at different levels of flight.
How long did it take them to travel that distance?

From the time we were called out to the patio they were already over land approx 1 mile and they split after about a minute.Based on daily air traffic they were or seemed to be traveling twice the speed of what is usually up there.Or about as long as it takes to see them and take 4 pictures with a slow Iphone 3gs.

In what direction were they when you first saw them?

226 degrees south west from where I was standing.They came in from the ocean.

What direction were they when you lost sight of them?

There was three they flew in side by side two banked 320 degrees NW the other 60 degrees NE

Where are you observing them from?

approx 12 miles SW of Mc Dill [[its a southern thing) standing by my friends pool ,no I was not drinking or get high.
What time are you seeing these lights?

The three that I personally saw were at roughly 8:15 pm EST my friend brought them to our attention because he had seen 6 the evening before and we were giving him a hard time about it. He was out having a smoke break when he called us outside.He said it was around 9 the evening before.

How close together were the lights?

Hard to judge that distance but they seemed to be grouped.Spaced evenly apart.in a line not like a fighter group with one in front on two tailing as wing men.

You say "they came in from the coast above McDill AFB" [[BTW, it's MacDill) which is on the gulf coast side of Florida. In other words, they appeared in the west, flying east? But in the next sentence fragment you say they came in from the south, and that one went southeast? In other words, it nearly reversed course?

I moved here recently from Orlando it has a different orientation then what I was used to, I live a mile from the bay.For you I used my handy Iphone compass and retraced.