Glimpsing a Mysterious Whizzing Object in the Night Sky

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around observations of celestial objects in the night sky, particularly a mysterious object seen by a participant, which they speculated could be a comet or a meteor. The conversation explores various astronomical phenomena, including the visibility of Mars and the Pleiades star cluster, as well as the experience of stargazing.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant observed a fast-moving object in the night sky and questioned whether it was a comet or a meteor.
  • Another participant clarified that the object was likely a meteor, not a comet.
  • Several participants shared their experiences and feelings about stargazing, with one recalling a childhood fascination with the night sky.
  • There was a discussion about the visibility of Mars, with one participant questioning if it could be seen with the naked eye, to which another confirmed that it can be seen comfortably.
  • One participant noted the twinkling of stars and speculated that it might be due to clouds, while another explained that twinkling is caused by atmospheric turbulence.
  • Participants discussed the Pleiades star cluster, with one asking if it is isolated from other constellations, and another suggesting that it might be more accurately referred to as a star cluster.
  • There was mention of Mars appearing particularly bright and orange during the observation period, with one participant expressing disappointment at its brightness compared to expectations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the identification of the bright orange object as Mars and the nature of twinkling stars. However, there are varying perspectives on the visibility of celestial objects and the terminology used to describe them, indicating some unresolved points in the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Participants expressed uncertainty about the visibility of Mars and the Pleiades under different conditions, as well as the effects of light pollution on stargazing experiences.

alias25
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i saw summin last night it whoosshed past, i was just looking out the window at the stars it was a really clear night and then i saw it i don't kno what it was a comet? or a rock or something falling to earth. but it made me feel better, i was feeling upset before. around quarter to 9.
 
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Time watching the night sky is time well spent.

Not a comet...actually a meteor.
 
yep ur right. i never saw anything like it beofre though.
 
I, myself, have recently been watching the sky in awe, I have rediscovered a love of looking at the night sky that I developed as a child. It was the thrill of seeing a particularly bright point in the sky and suspecting that it wasn't a star before finding out that it was Mars that did it for me though.
 
o i saw something orange like bright star. could it have been mars? but i thought u can't see it with naked eye
 
alias25 said:
o i saw something orange like bright star. could it have been mars? but i thought u can't see it with naked eye

You can see Mars comfortably with the naked eye. Mars isn't too far from the Pleiades at the moment if that helps.
 
yesss i did see Mars i saw that pleiades u sed, it looks a bit like a saucepan, and it kept twinkling a lot could be cause of the clouds, is pleiades quite isolated from other constellations? cause the one i saw near that orange object was
 
A few weeks visibilty of Mars was excelent just to the left of the moon however with all the hype about it being so large and close to Earth lately i thought it would be brighter than i actually saw but it still was awesome to look at
its nice to go to the cottage and get awya from the city lights were u can lookup in the night sky and see shooting stars and satellites every few minutes
 
alias25 said:
yesss i did see Mars i saw that pleiades u sed, it looks a bit like a saucepan, and it kept twinkling a lot could be cause of the clouds,

Stars appear to twinkle because the starlight reaching your eye has been buffeted around (refracted) by the Earth's turbulent atmosphere. This effect is more pronounced when the star is near the horizon (more atmosphere to go through compared to a star directly overhead).

is pleiades quite isolated from other constellations? cause the one i saw near that orange object was

Perhaps you mean "star cluster" rather than "constellation"? Yes, under typical urban/suburban skies (where light pollution from city lights drowns out many of the fainter views in the night sky) you won't see other similar clusters immediately around the Pleiades.

Mars is a particularly bright orange color over these few weeks (rising in the east around 9 pm and high in the eastern sky by midnight).
 

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