Astronomy 13: UFOs..... ?

A formation of UFOs preparing to invade the Earth? Military spy satellites flying in formation? StarWars fighter practice?

Probably not. I think these are simply geostationary or geosynchronous satellites.

The video is taken with the Orion StarShoot AutoGuider (SSAG) / ST80 refractor, using VideoSky capture software. The scope is the guide scope of my imaging setup, and is trained on the reflection nebula NGC1977 in Orion, and the Celestron CGEM mount is tracking sidereally. The exposures are 3 seconds per frame and the video should play back at 24 fps or so.

Remember... the scope is tracking the sky.... the stars are actually moving !! So you see the satellites enter from the right, move across the screen... then I _turn off_ the sidereal tracking so the scope STOPS .... and so do the satellites.... since they are geostationary. Then I turn the tracking back on, the stars "appear" to stop moving and the satellites resume their flight across the screen.

Of course, this could also be the best evidence for UFOs we've seen in a while.... and I wouldn't be surprised if this video turned up "in the usual places".

The 24 MB original looks much better and can be downloaded here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?71aa1c41ai63jkt

Sorry about the light......

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• astronomy
• ufo
• satellite
• geostationary
• battle
• formation
• spy
• geosynchronous
• apple
• pie
• jesus
• aliens

[aber0der]

The Graptnopkitza often fly like that, but satellites are also a possibility.

[TinselKoala]

@aber0der

It's not the Graptnopkitza I'm worried about.... it's whoever is chasing them that worries me.

[flylow2cre8u]

Callin you out buddy. Wait another hour or so to orbit the earth, if the same three pass by again then it may be satellites....don't forget to post another for ole time sake. Cheers!

[TinselKoala]

@flylow2cre8u

From my location, there are satellites going through that spot almost constantly. At least 2 or three every ten minutes... and I can prove this because I have long-exposure astrophotographs showing their trails, long series of photos, so over an hour you might see twenty or thirty satellites coming through this field. The geostationary orbit is crowded with all kinds of satellites.

[LodeHere]

It was in reaction to what you posted on the forum it looked like I was banned from, so I wanted to still give you an answer, which only seemed possible here.

(For a moment I thought my positive supposition about pcstru was not going to manifest...)

Of course my answer to your question here is that I would choose the latter option. And I did, as you know now.

I won't interfere with the indeed interesting scientific exchange here any more.

[TinselKoala]

BTW... I can't help but note that you are posting in the comment section to one of my videos... a scientifically significant one, obtained with great difficulty and as far as I can tell, unique on YT.... yet you talk only about yourself and what you feel.

[TinselKoala]

@LodeHere

When you love someone, what's more important... how _you_ perceive your love, or how your _beloved_ perceives it?

When your beloved is on a wrong path, and becomes unsettled with you for trying to show her the right way, does your love direct you to depart and let her stray alone, or does it direct you to stay and continue loving and leading?

[LodeHere]

BTW, I would not see it as me withholding love if I left -I would continue to love all of them- but to the contrary as an act of love to stop upsetting them.

I'll check sometimes to see if pcstru lets me post again, otherwise I say goodbye and thank you.

Lodewijk

[LodeHere]

Dear Don Alse, pcstru has disabled my posting. He told me he wanted a break from my posts. So in the hope you see this:

The reason I asked pctru why he doesn't ban me definitely is to help him realize -more than he already might- that he is not the loveless, callous, cruel person he pretends to be telling me to shut up and fuck off. In his conscience he knows how it feels to be banned -Steorn forum- and does not want for me to suffer that. Because in his heart he is Love.

[TinselKoala]

@flylow2cre8u

Can you say "geosynchronous" ? That means.... the satellite stays above the same spot on the earth all the time. That means.... it takes 24 hours to orbit... and since the stars take 23 hours 56 minutes to "orbit"... the satellites appear to move relative to the "fixed" stars.

Buddy.

[flylow2cre8u]

Actually at that speed it may take more than 3 hours. Keep us all updated. Peace