What the heck is that thing next to the Moon???

[CaptainHawk1]

So I'm taking the trash out to the curb at approximately 0225 PDT (Las Vegas) and I look up at the moon and I see the weirdest flickering object at about the 11 o'clock position (if the moon were a dial on a clock). It's flickering like white and what looks like red and all things considering, looks like it's a pretty goos size object.

 

What the heck is that thing???

 

-Shawn

[YT2095]

maybe it`s not a "Thing" it Could be some sort of Laser test, we Do have Mirrors on the moon for just that purpose.

or maybe even the ISS, it`s quite visible from Earth on a clear night.

[Klaynos]

I'd vote for some sort of satalitte, there's one I see very regularly moving around the south east....

[swansont]

Mars, maybe? I know Mars is visible, in Gemini right now, but not where that is in relation to the moon at that time.

[CaptainHawk1]

Well Sattelites, normally move because their in orbit, don't they? This thing was stationary for an hour (or more, maybe... I went to bed) and as far as the lasers are concerned, this was quite a distance in the position in the sky from the moon (about 3 moons away at the 11 o'clock position.)

 

-Shawn

[Klaynos]

Was it moving at the same rate as the moon? No tall buildings or hills in that direction?

[DrP]

It's probably just aliens scanning the earth for intellegent life.

[insane_alien]

could have been a helicopter. or a plane at a distance. could have been a lot of things.

[Klaynos]

It's probably just aliens scanning the earth for intellegent life.

 

If they find any I hope they tell us!

[qwe)k]

my educated guess would be an ALIEN!

[antimatter]

I think I saw that once too as a kid, I always thought it was a satellite though

[thedarkshade]

I'm guessing a satellite.

 

But did you drink anything before that? Because I usually see 'stuff' when I drink something 'fancy'.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

It may have been a planet, although I have no idea which.

[iNow]

Were there any psychotropic drugs involved? Perhaps mass quantities of alcohol?

[antimatter]

Were there any psychotropic drugs involved? Perhaps mass quantities of alcohol?

 

That's usually the case hehe

[Phi for All]

2:25 in the morning a few miles from Area 51? Hmmm, I got nothing.

 

But now I have to add aliens to the list of people who are interested in my trash....

[losfomot]

Well Sattelites, normally move because their in orbit, don't they? This thing was stationary for an hour (or more, maybe... I went to bed) and as far as the lasers are concerned, this was quite a distance in the position in the sky from the moon (about 3 moons away at the 11 o'clock position.)

 

-Shawn

 

stationary with respect to the moon or the Earth? The moon would have moved noticeably after an hour.. did this object move with it? If so, not a geostationary satellite. I would guess that it was a star or planet.

 

HERE is a picture of the sky in the direction of the moon from Las Vegas at 2:25am on the 27th...

 

and HERE is one from the 26th (I'm not sure what day you are talking about)

 

I don't see anything that sticks out at the position you are talking about... so maybe it WAS aliens.

[Shadowwalker]

My opinion(and you know what they say about those) is it was a star you just happened to see good on a clear night, I look at the stars a lot with my (naked) eyes and see the color changes (what they call blinking) and they appear to be white, green, yellow, red flashing colors. hope that helps.

[Jacques]

My guest is that it is Antares (alpha scorpio)

[Cmac22]

i know im a bit late but perhaps it may have been the gamma ray burst afterglow talked about here http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/cosmolog.htm and in more detail here http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/mar/HQ_08086_Swift_Detects_GRB.html

 

im not sure how long the afterglow would remain visible but i believe they can last for days or longer... who knows

 

eh scratch that, i dont think it would be visible for that long