Moon Gazers?

[Ken's Deputy 4,456]

This'll be an easy one, for you lot

What's with the 'Two Lights', blinking and twinkling away.  Below and to the left / north of the moon. Round about 22:00ish?

I seem to remember, from past threads, it's a pretty well mundane thing. Just can't remember the name for it. It'd be roughly in the eastern sky.

Thanks.

[Ted Newgent 4,896]

Under cooked chick peas just glistening in the nights sky

[Born Hunter 17,637]

If they appeared to twinkle then they are likely stars as planets don't generally do that and three of the four likely planets, Jupiter/Saturn/Venus are all currently only visible in the morning sky, they rise just before the sun does. One could have been Sirius as I think that might have been close to the moon last night. The moon shifts quite a bit each night so isn't a brilliant reference point tbh.

I won't get chance to look anytime soon now the weather has turned.

[Neal 1,784]

I saw a strange sight a couple of weeks ago at about sixish in the morning. I was walking through my local wood when I noticed a string of lights going overhead. I initially assumed it was an aircraft until I realised there was at least twenty of them (couldn't be certain of number as they were between gaps in the trees). They were pretty uniform in distance apart but some gaps were slightly wider and they moved in a single line at a uniform speed. If it had been 24th - 25th December I'd have presumed it was Santa!

I looked it up when I got home and it turns out it's Elon Musk's satellites (not sure if I've spelt his name right). They go up in strings of about sixty. Each one is the size of a car and covered in reflective material which is why, when they first go up, they can be seen from Earth. 

[Ken's Deputy 4,456]

Cheers, Born. Yeah, I've definitely seen this before, enough times that I'm getting sort of familiar with it now.

I tried to get a compass on my phone, today. Seems it lacks some magnet thing? Tried google too. No luck. I can only say that, from the pretty exact spot where I'd always be standing when I observe all this shit? Moon rises about my 10:00. This twinkler would be more like 11:30. 12:00 I call East. That's extremely simplified though.  Last night, the moon (at 22:00) was about 01:00.

Moon carries on through that trajectory, eventually ends up around 05:00, which I consider west of me.

What ever this shit is, it must be well enough known, because it's so glaringly fukking obvious. I mean, it stands out like a smack in the mouth. Two 'stars', side by side, sort of blinking. But not as regular as that. Thus I say Twinkling.

And there's almost like a lesser one, right in between them. Dunno. But, you can see, from my description, I'm completely familiar with this shit. That's how often I see it. Just wondered what it was.

[Born Hunter 17,637]

31 minutes ago, Ken's Deputy said:

Cheers, Born. Yeah, I've definitely seen this before, enough times that I'm getting sort of familiar with it now.

I tried to get a compass on my phone, today. Seems it lacks some magnet thing? Tried google too. No luck. I can only say that, from the pretty exact spot where I'd always be standing when I observe all this shit? Moon rises about my 10:00. This twinkler would be more like 11:30. 12:00 I call East. That's extremely simplified though.  Last night, the moon (at 22:00) was about 01:00.

Moon carries on through that trajectory, eventually ends up around 05:00, which I consider west of me.

What ever this shit is, it must be well enough known, because it's so glaringly fukking obvious. I mean, it stands out like a smack in the mouth. Two 'stars', side by side, sort of blinking. But not as regular as that. Thus I say Twinkling.

And there's almost like a lesser one, right in between them. Dunno. But, you can see, from my description, I'm completely familiar with this shit. That's how often I see it. Just wondered what it was.

I think I'm oriented.... I suspect it's Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. If you are at all familiar with the star constellations you'll likely recognise Orion, made famous in Men in Black "Orion's belt". Well Sirius is part of the constellation Canis Major (the greater dog), one of Orion's hounds and as such it follows Orion's heel across the night sky. Anyway, if you find Orion, Sirius will be just below and left of him. If it is indeed Sirius.

Can't really think if there's another bright star next to it, which is making me hesitant on calling it.

Other than the moon it should be the brightest thing in the sky currently. Maybe beat by Mars which isn't far off it right now tbh, but that's redish and not twinkly. It's currently the other side of Orion.... 

Edited March 1, 2021 by Born Hunter

[Greb147 6,808]

At that time of night  Orion is nowhere near the moon so Sirius must be out of the question. 

[Born Hunter 17,637]

14 minutes ago, Greb147 said:

At that time of night  Orion is nowhere near the moon so Sirius must be out of the question. 

Orion is just a reference to find Sirius which would be to the left of it, so nearer to the moon than Orion. I'm not saying it was Sirius, but it's not 'nowhere near', you want to see either you'll just be turning your head. Not exactly spinning around.

 

[Born Hunter 17,637]

The Moon's position at 10pm last night from the UK.

 

[Born Hunter 17,637]

There’s just not much to the left of the moon that I can think of as being particularly noteworthy. Sirius is the nearest thing of note, granted to the right and not exactly next to it.

[Greb147 6,808]

Ken, you need to draw us a picture pal with a time of observation for a reference.

Making easier for you with this north,south, east, west jargon. 

If it's to the right of the moon and quite low on the horizon it will be sirius, to confirm that, after spotting it follow a right diagonal path and you will see the belt of Orion. 

[Bosun11 537]

Sat watching telly last night and my Mrs jumps up pointing out the window skywards. I caught a fleeting glimps of something bright going across the sky. She seen it clear and contacted the International Meteor Organisation.

It was a fireball meteor and by this morning there was over 7k sightings of it and this evening its been reported in the Liverpool Echo.

[kanny 19,382]

9 minutes ago, Bosun11 said:

Sat watching telly last night and my Mrs jumps up pointing out the window skywards. I caught a fleeting glimps of something bright going across the sky. She seen it clear and contacted the International Meteor Organisation.

It was a fireball meteor and by this morning there was over 7k sightings of it and this evening its been reported in the Liverpool Echo.

I've started a thread on this,  glad someone saw it , ive checked my cctv but nothing to see here in the east Midlands 

[Ken's Deputy 4,456]

1 hour ago, Born Hunter said:

The Moon's position at 10pm last night from the UK.

 

That's it!!! That Bootes thing, to the left? Big, bright fukka. That'll be it. Spot on! What's that all about, please?

[Greb147 6,808]

7 minutes ago, Ken's Deputy said:

That's it!!! That Bootes thing, to the left? Big, bright fukka. That'll be it. Spot on! What's that all about, please?

Bootes is a constellation pal, you will have seen Arcturus, it's brightest star. 

Edit: You sure it's that, it's orange colour is very prominent? 

Edited March 1, 2021 by Greb147