blinking light in the sky

[Tex_NL]

Well one thing that bothers me on that picture above, there is UFO missing in it. So how do i identify an UFO? :-D

LOL

That's almost exactly the same reaction that pic got on the forum where I found it..

[Kinglet]

I hate how some people think UFO means alien spacecraft instead of unindentified flying object.

[The Jedi Master]

I remember last Fourth of July, I saw a bright white ball, just sitting in the sky. It was too big to be a plane or helicopter, but it certainly wasn't the moon. it went away after a while, and no one really cared, but I always wondered what it was.

I repeat, it was not the moon, so no Smart Alec answers.

[R0cketC0der]

I remember last Fourth of July, I saw a bright white ball, just sitting in the sky. It was too big to be a plane or helicopter, but it certainly wasn't the moon. it went away after a while, and no one really cared, but I always wondered what it was.

I repeat, it was not the moon, so no Smart Alec answers.

*insert obvious Death Star joke here*

[Tex_NL]

I remember last Fourth of July, I saw a bright white ball, just sitting in the sky. It was too big to be a plane or helicopter, but it certainly wasn't the moon. it went away after a while, and no one really cared, but I always wondered what it was.

I repeat, it was not the moon, so no Smart Alec answers.

Probably a Chinese lantern. Especially in nights with little to no wind they can loiter in the air for a really long time.

---

*insert obvious Death Star joke here*

And that's exactly what Jedi meant with 'no Smart Alec answers'

[lajoswinkler]

I remember last Fourth of July, I saw a bright white ball, just sitting in the sky. It was too big to be a plane or helicopter, but it certainly wasn't the moon. it went away after a while, and no one really cared, but I always wondered what it was.

I repeat, it was not the moon, so no Smart Alec answers.

I'm almost 100% sure it was a Chinese lantern. They look exactly like that, and the color depends on the paper it's made of.

[The Jedi Master]

I'm almost 100% sure it was a Chinese lantern. They look exactly like that, and the color depends on the paper it's made of.

Seemed a bit big for a lantern, and I'm not sure how what kind of people would use Chinese lanterns on the Fourth of July (Chinese immigrants? People who just thought it would be cool?).

[Guest]

Probably so. Or just someone was out of fireworks.

[Teoman2]

You guys are all wrong, it's Bob Crashing his ship on kerbin

[lajoswinkler]

Seemed a bit big for a lantern, and I'm not sure how what kind of people would use Chinese lanterns on the Fourth of July (Chinese immigrants? People who just thought it would be cool?).

Chinese lanterns are becoming increasingly popular. They don't have to be ornamented. The name just denotes a type of aircraft.

People launch them all the time even without any particular reason.

Yes, they can be really big. The bigger they are, the more hot air they can hold.

[sp1989]

It not impossible for it to have been the ISS

[lajoswinkler]

It not impossible for it to have been the ISS

ISS does not blink. It looks like a steady, strong point of light, moving quite slow.

[PakledHostage]

Not to mention that the ISS' orbital position is very well documented and we know that it wasn't visible from Montreal at the time in question.

[phoenix_ca]

Chinese lanterns are becoming increasingly popular. They don't have to be ornamented. The name just denotes a type of aircraft.

People launch them all the time even without any particular reason.

Yes, they can be really big. The bigger they are, the more hot air they can hold.

Man. That's...odd. I'd be way too paranoid about putting those in the air in or near a city with an airport. You could muck-up some plane's flight path if they need to move to avoid it. Better to stick to large events where lots of people do it at once so pilots can be warned via some sort of regional advisory to all planes with flight plans going through the area, or at least relayed to them via radio when they enter the area. The airspace above your head is probably a lot busier than it looks...

[lajoswinkler]

Man. That's...odd. I'd be way too paranoid about putting those in the air in or near a city with an airport. You could muck-up some plane's flight path if they need to move to avoid it. Better to stick to large events where lots of people do it at once so pilots can be warned via some sort of regional advisory to all planes with flight plans going through the area, or at least relayed to them via radio when they enter the area. The airspace above your head is probably a lot busier than it looks...

They don't fly that high. The fuel is a towel soaked with wax.

The only concern is fire hazard. I'm not sure if releasing those lanterns during the hot summer is a good idea. Plenty of dry weed around, and even embers could start a fire.

[PakledHostage]

I'm not sure if releasing those lanterns during the hot summer is a good idea. Plenty of dry weed around, and even embers could start a fire.

Probably a bigger concern if you live in BC's Kooteneys...

[lajoswinkler]

Probably a bigger concern if you live in BC's Kooteneys...

So that's the story behind this viral video.

[SUJETO]

hi im SATspotter you proly see a "IRIDIUM Flare" a satphone satellite.

if a bright white dot, long steady light, one direction moving constant speed is a ISS:

[lajoswinkler]

Iridium flares don't do this:

"Basically it was a light, blinking about every half a second moving across the sky at a relatively fast pace, it went through my field of vision in about a minute. It was moving very straight and kept blinking on and off."

[rpayne88]

By definition, it is an UNIDENTIFIED flying object.

I have no idea either,

[Mr Shifty]

The only concern is fire hazard. I'm not sure if releasing those lanterns during the hot summer is a good idea. Plenty of dry weed around, and even embers could start a fire.

I was camping at a state beach in San Diego a few weeks ago and there was a family a few sites over launching lantern after lantern, probably 30 or 40 in all. Luckily the wind was blowing them out over the ocean, but I couldn't help being concerned about the field of dry grass just behind us and the 2 major airfields within 5 miles.

[phoenix_ca]

I was camping at a state beach in San Diego a few weeks ago and there was a family a few sites over launching lantern after lantern, probably 30 or 40 in all. Luckily the wind was blowing them out over the ocean, but I couldn't help being concerned about the field of dry grass just behind us and the 2 major airfields within 5 miles.

That's pretty much the problem right there. They might not go high and will eventually fall, but you don't need to get very high to be in the middle of a flight path. A flimsy lantern can't really damage an aircraft, but it could give a pilot enough pause wondering what the hell that light is doing over the runway to abort a landing, and the financial cost of that is enormous.

[Creature]

It's very hard to look at a plane and guess it's altitude. Basically anything above a kilometer is almost impossible unless you have a trained eye. My guess would be a small jet approaching the airfield. Low throttle so it's quiet but still high enough to muffle the sounds and look like a distant dot.

That's pretty much the problem right there. They might not go high and will eventually fall, but you don't need to get very high to be in the middle of a flight path. A flimsy lantern can't really damage an aircraft, but it could give a pilot enough pause wondering what the hell that light is doing over the runway to abort a landing, and the financial cost of that is enormous.

If there's anything floating above the runway or even close to it I'm guessing the control would call the police in a heartbeat to find out who's launching them.