Friends & I saw a zig-zagging star

Ivan Seeking

Some other possibilities might include, an internally lit blimp or balloon, or a candle lantern:


http://www.joylanterns.com/

Objects drifting in the wind can follow highly irregular paths.

Thetom

It could also have been a radio-controlled aircraft. If it was electric you probably wouldn't hear it. They can ping around the sky in pretty much any way. And from a distance it would be impossable to tell what it was.

With the right lighting scheeme it could resemble your UFO.










Here's a video of rc heli night flying http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIrVF0hA_HU (not a very good one sorry) At a large enough distance though it would just be a blob of light zig-zagging through the sky. They can get really high too.

anonymous009

I'm from Minnesota and on July 4, 2006 around 11:00 pm to 12:00 am I saw the exact same thing the poster described. My father and I were star gazing after returning home from watching fireworks (it was a very clear night and we live out in the country so there were no other distractions). We saw what appeared to be just another star or satellite; however this one was moving in a continuous zig-zag pattern across the sky. It struck me as odd because I had never seen anything like it before and tried to brush it off. I suppose it could have been an out of control meteor but for some reason I highly doubt that.

Newai

Do meteors ever spin rapidly when moving through the sky?

Lacy33

I also saw (looked like) a point (with) lights high up making what looked like a type of zig-zag path. Some of the path was more box type pattern, then zig-zag and took off in straight line further than it had been going on an irregular.
Date,7-10-10, time, aprox. 9pm midtown manhattan, clear night with city haze. One planet visible, large, some smaller pol. Could see birds flying through light given off by tall buildings. This was viewed from top a 14 fl building.







I was not intoxicated however I think what ever was flying that point of light may have been or it could have been a hijack with a struggle at the controls and then off into deep space for a joy ride.

I have no idea what it was. But I see this post and thought I would add that I saw this. I think.

FlexGunship

I hope you don't mind if I try to gather all of the details in one location:

1. Relative apparent magnitude matching that of a star
2. Appearing directly overhead (or close to)
3. Crossing the sky in a "few" minutes
4. Appeared to follow a non-linear path with erratic movements

Given the "zig-zag" maneuver, we could probably eliminate a "spacecraft" of terrestrial or extraterrestrial origin. This would be the least fuel efficient way in which to traverse a high-altitude path. If it were so high as to be out of the atmosphere, then control surfaces wouldn't be helpful, and all "zigs" and "zags" would be accomplished through the expenditure of fuel.

It's difficult to take someone's personal judgement of the passage of time. Humans often express important events as happening in "slow-motion." This is a common experience and the reserves is true, also: when engrossed in repetitive work, we see that time "flies."

(http://www.skidmore.edu/~hfoley/Time.htm)

Lastly, the ideomotor effect has been the bane of many observers, often ruining experiments, or invalidating observations. While, it is impossible to say that it was actually you that was moving, it does cast some degree of doubt (even if it is a small degree).

My guess? A bird illuminated from the ground (i.e. bright white belly reflecting more than dark wings) or possibly a satellite.

Lacy33

Fine, let me think about this. I have to go somewhere and will answer when I get back. Thanks.

mugaliens

Sounds to me as if you were observing a satellite but were also experiencing microsaccades movements.

jreelawg

Maybe a satellite trying to achieve a higher orbit, hitting the propulsion away from earth, then falling back to earth, and so on, until they got it right?

Lacy33

Well if that is how satellites are designed to operate than perhaps that is what I had the opportunity to watch, because when I first noticed it my thought was, neat a satellite! That is until it began to shoot about.
My dear father was an aerospace engineer and he taught us at an early age how to spot a satellite.

FlexGunship

Orbit degradation happens much slower if it's not catastrophic. That is to say: if it's an orbit decaying so fast as to require repeated thruster fire, then it's likely that it would've resulted in a destroyed satellite. The amount of an adjustment that would be visible from earth would have to be tremendous. Think ray length, delta theta, and arc length.

mugaliens

I don't think so.

First, at 400,000 ft, orbital velocity is 17,500 mph (28,200 km/hr), yet to the naked eye satellites crawl across the sky. Second, any appreciable jerking around would involve delta-V of at least 10,000 km/hr, and satellites simply don't have anywhere near that capability. Third, even if they did, it would involve something as large as a third stage. Fourth, even if they did, it would take a a good amount of time, say an eighth of an orbit and twelve minutes to effect the kind of delta-V you believe you saw occur in a few seconds.

So, I don't think so.

Dickies

OMG i just saw a fast moving blinking star around 1:00AM in the morning GMT+ 8:00 JUST NOW! here in the Philippines moving from North West to the South East from the top of our building, just right after i have finished watching 2012 movie on HBO.. i was just about to go to sleep and i looked outside the windows looking to the west, i was looknig at the moon with the clouds and all, and saw a Still star blinking steadily with kinda redish and blue color, and then ANOTHER one just comes by from north west to south east "FAST" with a slight Zig-Zag movement also colored redish blue and everytime it moves it blinks with slighly zig-zag moves.. and the problem is im the only one that saw it because my mom, dad and my brother was already sleeping... and im totally sure its not a plane, it passed by just took 2 mins and it was already over the other side of south east, and i have saw Planes and Jet Planes that cross from north west side to south east side at about 10 mins, but this Blinking "STAR" move from North West to South East Side in just about 2 minutes! it passed over the clouds and it was gone.. on the East Side already.... ive never seen a plane that crossed the sky that FAST! After i saw it i just typed "just saw a Star moving fast in a zigzag pattern" on google, and got to this forum, and i registered just for the sake of reporting this!! I SWEAR TO GOD this aint nothing like a plane! and im 24 Yrs old , i never actually believed in UFO's until i saw it with my own EYES! could anyone from the US identify this Unidentified Flying Object? This was my first time to actually Encounter and saw it! bcoz most of the times i look at the sky its cloudy, or even not noticing it because im doing alot of things, but this time... it was really weird to see such thing! (and no, i am not on any drugs, i dont drink, and hell i dont even smoke)

ziggy star

I too have seen the stars zig zag. Multiple instances. Usually the star appears for about a minute in its trajectory across the sky. It always occurs from my observances, in the direction straight up from the ground. I have seen variant speed, and many instant directional changes. I have seen the star like object also change brightness. Lastly I have also seen 3 stars form a triangular pattern without first having been in one.

FlexGunship

Maybe it was a bird reflecting lights of various sources from the ground. the relatively low altitude would allow it to have the appearance of moving quickly across the sky And, as we all know, birds can never seem to decide in what direction to fly.

Microsaccadic eye movements would be best to explain your observation. As far as there starts forming a triangular pattern; well, obviously they were stars. Could be planes. I'm not far from Pease International Trade Port (which used to be an Air Force base) and they still fly fighters and refueling planes out of there for Trans-Atlantic operations. Planes routinely launch separately and then gather in formation.

expoets

I saw this back when I was a teen around 1967 in summer in L.A., I was in the backyard of a friend's home along with about 10 other people at night. A formation of what at first appeared to be 5 or 6 stars were moving fast and low along the northern horizon when the 'stars' suddenly stopped and changed direction and zig-zagged once and zoomed off into the opposite direction they had been traveling. No one said a word for a few minutes and then we tried to nervously laugh it off but the rest of the evening there was a tenseness in the air. I never forgot it and never could figure out what we saw that summer night all these years ago. we never saw it again but every once in a while one of my buddies will bring it up and laugh about it.

moejoe15

I saw a meteorite once that did an L shape. The only explanation I can think of is it breaking up. The two legs of the L weren't exactly straight but zigged a bit like lightning too.