Star like object travels in a zigzagging pattern relative to other stars

[weirdoguy]

I observe satellites frequently, being a citizen astronomer. I use satellite tracking apps such as NASA ISS tracker and Heaven's Above. I can also identify most terrestrial, conventional aircraft, such as airplanes, jets, UAVs, and drones, having worked for decades in the aerospace industry.

And so are/does/can hundreds of people. If it was something connected to plasma and magnetic field it would have been observed long time ago, since you are not using any super-duper new, never seen before observational equipement. Be rational, please don't go the crackpot route.

 

[DaveC426913]

These objects were not satellites, in my opinion. I observe satellites frequently, being a citizen astronomer. I use satellite tracking apps such as NASA ISS tracker and Heaven's Above. I can also identify most terrestrial, conventional aircraft, such as airplanes, jets, UAVs, and drones, having worked for decades in the aerospace industry.

No one doubts that these behaved unlike satellites as you've seen them in your broad experience.

But the ways in which an otherwise mundane events can take on unusual and unprecedented characteristics is myriad, even if rare.

(I'll bet most members here surmise that virtually all historical UFO/UAP reports are, in reality, mundane objects, seen under unusual circumstances.)

At the risk of further speaking for other PF members: We are going to look for mundane explanations and rule every one of the them out before we start looking at exotic ones. If you're looking for plasma-esque phenomena, this may not the be place for you.

 

[russ_watters]

These objects were not satellites, in my opinion. I observe satellites frequently, being a citizen astronomer. I use satellite tracking apps such as NASA ISS tracker and Heaven's Above.

But did you use it in these cases? Sounds like no. I looked at your video and all of them look like satellites to me. Given that you've seen a lot of satellites as an amateur astronomer (as have I), aside from the zig-zag, what features do these have that you think satellites don't? And along those lines, given that these were all taken at 800mm, you did not see the zig-zag with your naked eye, correct?

Where are you observing from? A deck attached to a house? Or on the ground?

I was observing with binoculars (8 x 42, 6.5 degrees Field of View) and at certain points saw five objects moving at once in the FOV. These objects would fly back and forth, level to the horizon

That's a different sighting and without a video or a lot more information we can't really help you with it.

I am posting here on the Physics Forum because I am looking for new or leading edge thoughts that can be explained with known physics for phenomena that do not fit into any of the more "conventional" explanations, such as metallic satellites, aircraft, drones, UAVs, space debris, or meteors.....What I am seeking from the Physics Forum is any knowledge of plasma or plasma phenomena that start to explain linear zigzag patterns. In other words, these observations seem to be more based on technology than a natural phenomenon.

Please reread our terms of service. PF deals in mainstream science only. We're not developing alternative theories to explain UAP sightings.

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/physics-forums-global-guidelines.414380/

 

[russ_watters]

I note that the other point sources in your picture show the same triangular shape as your zigzag track.[/B] That suggests you had a vibrating mount for the camera, and that a regular mechanical vibration, from a fan motor, or AC unit was shaking the floor.

The zig-zag track also doesn't vary as the objects move or from object to object. If they were a real motion in a moving object(s) you'd expect the pattern in the image to get wider as the objects moved toward the observer (if they were observed long enough) and for different ones to have different widths based on distance and aspect.

Also, image stabilization seems unlikely to me for the ones that are long exposures. There's nothing for image stabilization to do. A forced vibration from a fan or other motor would fit.

 

[Tom.G]

Another possibility is a mirage. See:
https://www.physicsforums.com/posts/7140653

And my follow-up post to the above:
https://www.physicsforums.com/posts/7140787

Cheers,
Tom

 

[DaveC426913]

Another possibility is a mirage. See:
https://www.physicsforums.com/posts/7140653

And my follow-up post to the above:
https://www.physicsforums.com/posts/7140787

Cheers,
Tom

Sorry, a zig-zagging satellite-like point of light, crossing the sky - at night - will be explained by ... a mirage?

 

[Tom.G]

Yup, plausible...
If there is turbulance in the air near or where the temperature inversion is.

 

[DaveC426913]

Yup, plausible...
If there is turbulance in the air near or where the temperature inversion is.

Oh. You mean twinkling.
That's a bit different from a mirage.

 

[seanhill1974]

It's a Sky Lantern

 

[Tom.G]

Oh. You mean twinkling.
That's a bit different from a mirage.

Yes, a bit different, though similar effects,
Twinkling is caused by cells of air with different densities acting as a randomly oriented lens, causing the image to move around.

A mirage is a when air layers of different density act as a mirror. If there is turbulance at/near their interface, it deforms the reflecting interface like a Fun House mirror.

 

[DaveC426913]

I know.

The OP describes what sounds much more like twinkling than a mirage.

 

[256bits]

So what happens if one photographs, video tapes, looks at a lit object through a mesh such as a window screen.
Does the object appear to zig zag as view cuts across the screen wires at an angle?

 

[DaveC426913]

Lateral motion was instant and had an amplitude of the width of my thumb with my arm fully extended.

- for about 30 sec
- about 10 times (at first it was traveling in a straight line)
- regular every 1 sec

Thus sounds a lot like navigation lights on a plane

 

[Braunie]

I was fortunate enough to see something very similar over Australia a few years back. I would describe it as a 'sawtooth' motion, smooth motion forward then an apparent jump backwards, then smooth forward motion again. This was almost certainly not one object but a train of satellites, probably starlink, recently deployed so still in a string, but separated enough to be a few seconds apart in orbit. What I saw was light reflecting from one satellite for a couple of seconds, then it disappeared, then another satellite appeared behind it. That one did the same thing, visible for a few seconds then winked out, and another appeared. This went on for a while. With the angles and timing just right, it could easily appear that the same object jumped backwards in its orbit as you described.

 

[Harvardiv]

I have a question that must have logical answer and I just cant find one online.

Yesterday, around 11 P.M. me and my wife was sitting on our porch talking and casually watching the sky.
Suddenly, our attention was caught by a star like object that was traveling towards east.
Speed was like any satellite would have but it was ZIGZAGGING.
Lateral motion was instant and had an amplitude of the width of my thumb with my arm fully extended. At some point its brightness increased drastically just before it faded out completely.

I found a lot of testimonies about similar sightings but not a single one clarification.

I can explain sudden increase in brightness (probably increased reflection due to change of position) and fading (traveling east object moved into a sun shadow - high altitude object) but i just cant explain zigzagging.
I've found some explanations that states it is an optical illusion caused by eye-tracking or atmospheric effects but there is a problem with this explanation. Object was zigzagging relative to other stars.
Only object that can zigzag would be a drone, but no drone can zigzag instantly like that. It looked like it was jumping.

Hello I think I saw the exact saome thing. I was laying down watching the satellites at the local golf course, and after watching really close. I saw what appeared to be a satellite, but moving about 3x as fast at the standard ones and little bit more faint (perhaps in a higher orbit). I suddenly zig zagged around 6 times within a 1/10 of a second, and then continued on its original course, and then did it again. Visually it was unreal and looked like something out of a Walt Disney movie. I was trying to think of some alternative of what else it could be, sincce it happened so fast. Perhaps it could have been some space based laser which scans the atmosphere. I looked like a real objsect however.

 

[Physics Detective]

I've seen what appeared to be satellites making abrupt right-angle turns. On one particular occasion there were two of them, one tracking slowly North to South, the other tracking slowly South to North, both on the same line, both at about the same apparent speed as a satellite. This was above Southern England in July 1998. I thought they were satellites. However when they got close to one another, one suddenly started moving East to West, then after a few seconds the other suddenly started moving West to East. I had an SLR camera at the time with a telephoto lens. I ran into the house, grabbed it, and took as many photographs as I could. However every one of them turned out to be totally black. I had no experience then of photographing the night sky. I still don't.

 

[Harvardiv]

Your images most likely depict large research balloons that are driven in random directions by varying winds as they move through different layers of the stratosphere.
In June of 2020 a camper in southern Utah near Gunsight Bay took a 5 hour sequence of time-lapse photos of the night sky looking toward the southwest. The images clearly show an object akin to yours moving in a zig-zag pattern across the sky. Seeking an explanation, the photographer sent the raw frames to Corridor Digital. Using the precise coordinates, direction, date and times of the photos they were able to identify the object to be that of a specific research flight launched by Google Project Loon to test balloon-borne wireless internet delivery. Although Project Loon was shut down in 2021, it's plausible that other private ventures and government agencies continue to launch their own stratospheric research balloons in the western USA and that they're sometimes visible to ground observers like yourself.

No! Definitely not. I saw something much like this but with greater amplitude of left and right turns, maybe an amplitude of several miles across the sky in each direction and rapidly done within 1/10 of a second for all 6 turns it made. It would have been tremendous g forces and the turns were very sharp and distant from the centerline. Then it returned to a perfect straight trajectory after 2 series of split second turns. Each series was spaced around 2 seconds apart.

 

[renormalize]

No! Definitely not. I saw something much like this but with greater amplitude of left and right turns, maybe an amplitude of several miles across the sky in each direction and rapidly done within 1/10 of a second for all 6 turns it made. It would have been tremendous g forces and the turns were very sharp and distant from the centerline. Then it returned to a perfect straight trajectory after 2 series of split second turns. Each series was spaced around 2 seconds apart.

So what is your best guess for what you saw?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I've seen what appeared to be satellites making abrupt right-angle turns. On one particular occasion there were two of them, one tracking slowly North to South, the other tracking slowly South to North, both on the same line, both at about the same apparent speed as a satellite. This was above Southern England in July 1998. I thought they were satellites. However when they got close to one another, one suddenly started moving East to West, then after a few seconds the other suddenly started moving West to East. I had an SLR camera at the time with a telephoto lens. I ran into the house, grabbed it, and took as many photographs as I could. However every one of them turned out to be totally black. I had no experience then of photographing the night sky. I still don't.

Some satellites can now maneuver.

I wonder if it's possible that the military engages in simulated satellite warfare that can be seen.

 

[GEdBsNotDum]

ln late June of 1979 my wife and I were outside late one calm evening here in South Dakota and observed erratic behavior from what appeared to be at first one then two satellites moving from east to west in general. Most of the odd maneuvers were roughly 90° deviations at random and at a consistent velocity. However, a couple of moves were more than 90° which really surprised me. They didn't appear to have any coordination between them and their relative positions varied with the exception that their general direction was west and one was more of a leader not to be overtaken by the other. The time in history makes most of the technological explanations moot. While I can't know the altitude, it was a quiet night and no engine noise was heard. Also, if the "light" we were observing were a reflection from the recently set sun, I'd have expected to see a con trail if they were jet engine propelled. I had observed normal satellite movement and it seemed at the time that the speed was generally in line with what I'd have expected. The zig-zagging was not rhythmic in any way nor of consistent deviation. They did not return to a consistent "line" of travel. They would jerk off of their westerly path for sometimes a 3 or 4 seconds before jerking back to their westerly direction. I suspect I will always wonder what it was I observed over what seemed like perhaps 15 minutes or so.