Strange Object in Capricornus?

[shaneaust]

Hi all:

Was up this morning at 3 am, just looking at the sky and noticed a "blinking light" way, way up in the Capricornus area (NE sky) - far too distant to be an airliner's light.

I've seen this before, and the weird thing about it is that:

1) it blinks ~ once every 40-50 seconds (but not necessarily "regularly)

2) it shifts position whenever I notice its "blink" - it tends to move around, as in from side-to-side, and up-and-down in one smallish area of the sky - during the period that I can see it.

After a (very) few minutes, it usually disappears.

Anyone have an idea as to what it might be? Observation (2) above is what puzzles me most.

[mswhin63]

This may not be what is happening to you but telling how it is happens to me. In your situation occuring in a single area is suspicious though.

In my days when I used to do Field Archery I found that I had 2 master eyes. Most people don't have this condition. Generally in astronomy people can use their master eye to observe through an eyepiece while still have the other one open and still able to see.

Mine fight each other to dominate the view, so I have to close one eye all the time. It is weird but I see stars moving all the time and was told the shift between the 2 eyes causes this problems. I have to sit and try to concentrate to stop the stars from moving. It is such a weird feeling to see 2 stars remain stationary while another zooms around Drunk as a skunk. :rofl:

I know it is something to do with my eyes as I can stop it from happening when I close one of them and it happens so often about 5 or more times per minute.

[Rob_K]

Interesting. I often see the brighter stars and planets behaving 'erratically', particularly when high in the sky. Astonishing accelerations, sideways shifts etc. I've always assumed (correctly I think) that it is a form of vertigo, which I am prone to. Quite disconcerting when you see Jupiter speeding across the sky, then making a right-hand turn, LOL!

It springs to mind whenever I hear people describing the behaviour of strange bright lights in the sky.


Cheers -

[mswhin63]

Even more interesting because when I was 18 I suffered severe Vertigo from a kick to the head (That time it was Tae Kwon Do) :rolleyes: Was out of it for 18 months, my job at the time was a Radio Technician repairing antenna on 50m mast. That was prior to the new belt clip safety poles introduced.

Maybe still suffering and just got used to it. :D

[shaneaust]

Thanks guys for your observations, but I really dont think its vertigo.

What happens is that it will "blink" in one small part of the sky, and, maybe a minute or so later, "blink" in another part, then a minute later, "blink" in yet another part, and so on...

I have seen this "thing" happen before, a few years ago, in basically the same part of the sky, at approx the same time. I remember reporting it on one of the astro sites (but not IIS), so guess I'll look for the report again.

But I'm pretty sure it's not vertigo.:shrug:

[kinetic]

Do you wear prescription glasses at all?
Just a suggestion, I get the occasional flash on the
periphery of my vision due to the glasses and a streetlight
or bright star.
Because I'm pretty new to wearing glasses at my
early 40s, this is all new to me and it sometimes unnerves me.
I think I've seen a bolide or very bright event!

Then I relax and understand...oh yeah the bloody glasses again.

As for the post about having a 'master eye', an interesting post.
I brought up this subject a few months ago here:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=37234&highlight=ambidextrous
Some interesting anecdotes.

Steve

[astroron]

Shane? How far apart are these blinks? Have you tried to look at them with a pair of Bino's?
I think you will find it is what I call a flasher:D just a Rotating piece of space junk or a satellite.:shrug:
I don't think it is anything to do with your eyesight:)
You should always have a pair of Bino's handy for just this kind of happening:thumbsup:

[ngcles]

Hi Shane, Ron & All,



I'm very much with Ron on this one. I was introduced to the "Virgo Flasher" last month up at Mudgee that is a similar sort of thing:

http://my.hwy.com.au/~sjquirk/images/misc/virgo-flasher.html

http://www.mudgeeobservatory.com.au/images/virgo-flasher.html

That one (ETS-6 ( 1994 56A ) is a failed Japanese satellite that was supposed to end up in a geo-synchronous orbit. But the booster failed and it ended up stuck in it's transfer orbit. It has something like a 5:3 resonance with the Earth's rotation.

There are several other up there, I've seen another one several years ago that was pretty similar to what you saw -- can't remember the constellation though.

Top marks for being sharp-eyed:thumbsup:


Best,

Les D

[mswhin63]

I remember seeing one of these, don't ask me where it was because it was in my early days looking at satelittes (didn't have a scope at the time). Saw this thing flashing across the sky in a straight line. Disappeared after the earth got in the way. Although the one I saw was extremely bright about -2 to -3 Mag. It was going at a great rate of knots though so it didn't stay in the sky long.

[shaneaust]

Thanks Ron & Les - I will look into the ETS-6 story to see if the position of the satellite is in the same area of the sky as where I have been seeing the light. Could be something like that, or a "flasher" of some other origin.

Good idea, too, about using binos, Ron - have got a pair and will use them when next I "see the light" (sorry about that...just couldn't resist...)

Mick (btw - "shaneaust" is only a sign-on name, not my real name).

[astroron]

Mick (btw - "shaneaust" is only a sign-on name, not my real name).
OK George;)