So the ISS was showing up on radar? That doesn't sound right. Plus, the way the guy tells his story, it makes it seem like that scene from 3rd Encounters where the spaceships follow the road and are chased by police, only higher up in the sky.
I'd bet anything it was the ISS, and the AF was just making sure.<hr></blockquote>
That's absurd! Since when could an F-16 fly 250 miles bove the Earth's surface, at speeds in excess of 18000 mph? That suggestion also makes it sound as if those responsible for interpreting radar returns are totally incompetent...
I saw a UFO in 1996 on my way up i-195 in NJ. It was about 10pm at night on December 10th. The object was very low flying, shaped like a triangle (think the bottom of the space shuttle). It moved REALLY slow. My roommate and I were driving and saw it approaching, we slowed down to a crawl to watch it but decided not to pull over.
There was a black car following behind us. When the object was out of our site, the car took off. I guess it was driving slow too and then decided to pass us....or....they were making sure we weren't going to take any pictures. <img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" />
It was probably just something from McGuire Air Force Base though, since thats pretty close to that area. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
<strong>It was probably just something from McGuire Air Force Base though, since thats pretty close to that area. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>
Lots of Phantoms, Tank busters and air transports (C-130) at McGuire. My father works in the area. They hear weird stuff all the time too, but it's a really unlikely place for more, um, interesting stuff.
I'd bet anything it was the ISS, and the AF was just making sure.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Thanks for the link j.
Went to the site mentioned on CNN and discovered that ISS is passing near me at least twice a day for the next two weeks. I just went out to see it and I would understand if people would mistake it for a UFO. Suddenly appearing in the (starless) sky, slowly moving across the sky getting brighter for a couple of minutes and then suddenly disappearing. Looking not at all like a plane (no blinking lights).
It had a magnitude of 0.9. Tomorrow it will be -0.1. Does anyone know how much more bright it will be (in relative tearms)?
The govt are bastards who wont tell you what they are doing. Think of all the strange testing and stuff that goes on. Of course, they are probably tracing this post right now. Damn agents.
Went to the site mentioned on CNN and discovered that ISS is passing near me at least twice a day for the next two weeks. I just went out to see it and I would understand if people would mistake it for a UFO. Suddenly appearing in the (starless) sky, slowly moving across the sky getting brighter for a couple of minutes and then suddenly disappearing. Looking not at all like a plane (no blinking lights).
It had a magnitude of 0.9. Tomorrow it will be -0.1. Does anyone know how much more bright it will be (in relative tearms)?</strong><hr></blockquote>
This is a measure of the brightness of a celestial object. The lower the value, the brighter the object, so magnitude -4 is brighter than magnitude 0, which is in turn brighter than magnitude +4. The scale is logarithmic, and a difference of 5 magnitudes means a brightness difference of exactly 100 times. A difference of one magnitude corresponds to a brightness difference of around 2.51 (the fifth root of 100).
The system was started by the ancient Greeks, who divided the stars into one of six magnitude groups
with stars of the first magnitude being the first ones to be visible after sunset. In modern times, the scale has been extended in both directions and more strictly defined.
** Some objects vary in magnitude **
Examples of magnitude values for well-known objects are;
Sun -26.7 (about 400 000 times brighter than full Moon!)
Full Moon -12.7
Brightest Iridium flares -8
Venus (at brightest) -4.4
International Space Station -2
Sirius (brightest star) -1.44
Limit of human eye +6 to +7
Limit of 10x50 binoculars +9
Pluto +14
Limit of Hubble Space Telescope +30
---
from DistantSuns
The 15 Brightest Stars. . .
magnitude distance* \tname\t\t\t
(light years)
-27\t-\tSun (aka Sol)
-1.46\t8.6\tSirius
-0.72\t39\tCanopus
-0.29\t5.91\tAlpha Centauri
-0.06\t375\tArcturus (Bootes 'tail'. see below)
0.04\t26.27\tVega
0.08\t45.92\tCapella
0.14\t815\tRigel (Yellow/White Orion 'foot')
0.37\t11.41\tProcyon
0.48\t127\tAchernar
0.60\t\tBeta Centauri
0.76\t16.6\tAltair
0.80\t520\tBetelgeuse (Red giant Orion 'hand')
0.85\t68.5\tAldebaran (Red giant in Taurus)
0.87\t4.35\tAlpha Centauri
--
right now, venus is magnitude -4.0 and clearly the brightest object in the evening sky (behind the moon). Jupiter is -1.7, and Mercury is -1.2, but both are too close to the sun to see without scopes now.
Antares, the red giant in Scorpio (lower sw from venus) is 1.06. Arcturus, the brightest star in Bootes (up and left from venus and straight back off the handle of the big dipper) is -.05, so the ISS will go from the apparent brightness of a non-spherical red giant 700 times the size of our sun to the apparent brightness of a star 115 times as luminous as our sun, 25 times its diameter, but only 4 times its mass. <info from Distant Suns SETI@Home edition>
according to the original <a href="http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/reference/index.html"; target="_blank">ISS construction plans</a> (before GWB), once completed the ISS would become the 3rd brighest object in the sky, regularly visible in daytime due to more than 400 metres of solar panels. don't expect the current lack of vision to help it become that visible.
if you're keen, check <a href="http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/"; target="_blank">NASA Office of Space Flight</a> for more links
----^---- end too much information ----^----
and for those who think it was the ISS the pilots were chasing, Space Radar currently tracks more than 4000 objects in orbit ranging from the ISS to wrenches that get dropped on spacewalks... they don't bother sending planes after things they already have tracking paths for... only for the unusual or unexpected traffic. while ISS is unusual, it's orbital tracks are common enough knowledge to fill updated websites with... and that pilot is gonna get razzed by the squadron after trying to catch an orbital 18000 mph 'blip'
speculation after its gone doesn't worry the air force
there'd be a lot more explaining if they'd caught something
Comments
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/07/26/spaceship.sightings/index.html"; target="_blank">UFOs</a>
I'd bet anything it was the ISS, and the AF was just making sure.
Jeff
[ 07-27-2002: Message edited by: jeffyboy ]</p>
Probably not related to your story.
Why can't we except that maybe there was a UFO? My friend and I have seen one. So have other people I know.
Honestly, I hope they come down and help us...we certainly need it with the idiot leaders we have now...
I'd bet anything it was the ISS, and the AF was just making sure.<hr></blockquote>
That's absurd! Since when could an F-16 fly 250 miles bove the Earth's surface, at speeds in excess of 18000 mph? That suggestion also makes it sound as if those responsible for interpreting radar returns are totally incompetent...
<img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
Good 25-30 miles.
Sounds a bit too -close encounters- for me, though.
oh well.
There was a black car following behind us. When the object was out of our site, the car took off. I guess it was driving slow too and then decided to pass us....or....they were making sure we weren't going to take any pictures. <img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" />
It was probably just something from McGuire Air Force Base though, since thats pretty close to that area. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
<strong>It was probably just something from McGuire Air Force Base though, since thats pretty close to that area. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>
Lots of Phantoms, Tank busters and air transports (C-130) at McGuire. My father works in the area. They hear weird stuff all the time too, but it's a really unlikely place for more, um, interesting stuff.
[ 07-27-2002: Message edited by: BuonRotto ]</p>
<strong>I've been waiting for this...
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/07/26/spaceship.sightings/index.html"; target="_blank">UFOs</a>
I'd bet anything it was the ISS, and the AF was just making sure.
Jeff
[ 07-27-2002: Message edited by: jeffyboy ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
How far out does NORAD radar go?
Or...
How LOW is the ISS's trajectory orbit at times?
Sorry guys. That was me.
<strong>I've been waiting for this...
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/07/26/spaceship.sightings/index.html"; target="_blank">UFOs</a>
I'd bet anything it was the ISS, and the AF was just making sure.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Thanks for the link j.
Went to the site mentioned on CNN and discovered that ISS is passing near me at least twice a day for the next two weeks. I just went out to see it and I would understand if people would mistake it for a UFO. Suddenly appearing in the (starless) sky, slowly moving across the sky getting brighter for a couple of minutes and then suddenly disappearing. Looking not at all like a plane (no blinking lights).
It had a magnitude of 0.9. Tomorrow it will be -0.1. Does anyone know how much more bright it will be (in relative tearms)?
[ 07-27-2002: Message edited by: soulcrusher ]</p>
<strong>They are going to invade us soon and use us all as sex slaves.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Noooooo !!!
I don't want to end up as a Sex slave !
Noooooo !!!
I bet it was a UFO.
<strong>They are going to invade us soon and use us all as sex slaves.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
They'll take the smartest of us and put us into forced breeding programs for the remainder of our lives.
Where's that damned encyclopedia....
[ 07-27-2002: Message edited by: Macguy ]</p>
I hope I didn't give "them" any ideas for a cover story!
<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
Jeff
<strong>
Thanks for the link j.
Went to the site mentioned on CNN and discovered that ISS is passing near me at least twice a day for the next two weeks. I just went out to see it and I would understand if people would mistake it for a UFO. Suddenly appearing in the (starless) sky, slowly moving across the sky getting brighter for a couple of minutes and then suddenly disappearing. Looking not at all like a plane (no blinking lights).
It had a magnitude of 0.9. Tomorrow it will be -0.1. Does anyone know how much more bright it will be (in relative tearms)?</strong><hr></blockquote>
---v--- begin too much information ---v---
from
<a href="http://www.heavens-above.com/"; target="_blank">heavens-above (free, no reg req)</a>
Definition of "Magnitude"
This is a measure of the brightness of a celestial object. The lower the value, the brighter the object, so magnitude -4 is brighter than magnitude 0, which is in turn brighter than magnitude +4. The scale is logarithmic, and a difference of 5 magnitudes means a brightness difference of exactly 100 times. A difference of one magnitude corresponds to a brightness difference of around 2.51 (the fifth root of 100).
The system was started by the ancient Greeks, who divided the stars into one of six magnitude groups
with stars of the first magnitude being the first ones to be visible after sunset. In modern times, the scale has been extended in both directions and more strictly defined.
** Some objects vary in magnitude **
Examples of magnitude values for well-known objects are;
Sun -26.7 (about 400 000 times brighter than full Moon!)
Full Moon -12.7
Brightest Iridium flares -8
Venus (at brightest) -4.4
International Space Station -2
Sirius (brightest star) -1.44
Limit of human eye +6 to +7
Limit of 10x50 binoculars +9
Pluto +14
Limit of Hubble Space Telescope +30
---
from DistantSuns
The 15 Brightest Stars. . .
magnitude distance* \tname\t\t\t
(light years)
-27\t-\tSun (aka Sol)
-1.46\t8.6\tSirius
-0.72\t39\tCanopus
-0.29\t5.91\tAlpha Centauri
-0.06\t375\tArcturus (Bootes 'tail'. see below)
0.04\t26.27\tVega
0.08\t45.92\tCapella
0.14\t815\tRigel (Yellow/White Orion 'foot')
0.37\t11.41\tProcyon
0.48\t127\tAchernar
0.60\t\tBeta Centauri
0.76\t16.6\tAltair
0.80\t520\tBetelgeuse (Red giant Orion 'hand')
0.85\t68.5\tAldebaran (Red giant in Taurus)
0.87\t4.35\tAlpha Centauri
--
right now, venus is magnitude -4.0 and clearly the brightest object in the evening sky (behind the moon). Jupiter is -1.7, and Mercury is -1.2, but both are too close to the sun to see without scopes now.
Antares, the red giant in Scorpio (lower sw from venus) is 1.06. Arcturus, the brightest star in Bootes (up and left from venus and straight back off the handle of the big dipper) is -.05, so the ISS will go from the apparent brightness of a non-spherical red giant 700 times the size of our sun to the apparent brightness of a star 115 times as luminous as our sun, 25 times its diameter, but only 4 times its mass. <info from Distant Suns SETI@Home edition>
according to the original <a href="http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/reference/index.html"; target="_blank">ISS construction plans</a> (before GWB), once completed the ISS would become the 3rd brighest object in the sky, regularly visible in daytime due to more than 400 metres of solar panels. don't expect the current lack of vision to help it become that visible.
if you're keen, check <a href="http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/"; target="_blank">NASA Office of Space Flight</a> for more links
----^---- end too much information ----^----
and for those who think it was the ISS the pilots were chasing, Space Radar currently tracks more than 4000 objects in orbit ranging from the ISS to wrenches that get dropped on spacewalks... they don't bother sending planes after things they already have tracking paths for... only for the unusual or unexpected traffic. while ISS is unusual, it's orbital tracks are common enough knowledge to fill updated websites with... and that pilot is gonna get razzed by the squadron after trying to catch an orbital 18000 mph 'blip'
speculation after its gone doesn't worry the air force
there'd be a lot more explaining if they'd caught something
Dang it, I've been waiting two days to be all snarky and smug and dismiss a UFO sighting like that, though!
<img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
Jeff
<a href="http://www.delmarvanow.com/deweybeach/stories/20020724/290172.html"; target="_blank">http://www.delmarvanow.com/deweybeach/stories/20020724/290172.html</a>;
bright lights that radically change direction ain't our orbital trio of alphanauts
ball lightning can change directions at those speeds...
after all, it's lightning
but getting probed by alien lightning? <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
until it's documented, it'll remain UFO
with probably 0.000002% odds it was Elvis