UFO over Canberra

[Rod Sloan]

I started the thread with UFO because for me, thats exactly what it is.

For the past week I have been noticing a red/green flashing object in the western sky over Canberra. Thing is...it doesn't move. Only the earths turning makes it move in the sky.

I can't keep the bino's still enough to identify the object but it does reinforce the red/green flashing.

Anyone got any clues on this one ??

Cheers

[Oliver Gigacz]

Could it be the planet Venus? It is the brightest thing in the sky except for the sun and the moon.

[Rod Sloan]

Dunno..could be. I thought Venus was just a bright whiteish colour ?
Also, isn't Venus more upward looking ? This thing was on the horizon.

I'm thinking a star of some kind,,,just unsure which. Google isn't being very fruitful.

[Bob C]

Kevin Rudd going ballistic ?

[Nigel C]

Try looking at www.heavens-above.com They should have a page that'll tell you what's in that part of the sky at that time of the night.

EDIT: Here's the skychart for Canberra tonight
http://heavens-above.com/skychart.aspx?SL=1&SN=1&lat=-35.46067&lng=150.46875&loc=Canberra&alt=0&tz=CET

http://heavens-above.com/wholeskychart.ashx?lat=-35.46067&lng=150.46875&size=500&SL=1&SN=1&BW=0&time=55368.41327

[Maikha Ly]

The thought occurred to me... if it was Green blokes from out of space... why'd they pick Canberra of all places? :p

[Stephen Brown]

P0rn and Firecrackers

[Mark M]

International Space Station perhaps ?

[Stephen Brown]

The ISS is circling the globe roughly every 90 minutes. You will know it when you see it. It is very bright as it crosses the sky at a great rate and is always white in colour.

Heavens-Above can let you know the precise details of the ISS location at any given time and also give you timings of the next ISS passes overhead. I highly recommend a pre-sunrise/dawn viewing if you can. It looks spectacular as the morning sun hits it. A few years ago it did two passes over Sydney as the shuttle was docking with it. Very interesting to see the shuttle getting closer to the ISS. There is going to be a pass in the morning on the 1st of July starting at 5.40 coming from the NNW. It will last for six minutes

The flashing red/green thing is most likely one of the larger stars rising. If its down closer to the horizon from your view point you are looking at it through more of the layers that surround earth (ionosphere, stratosphere, etc) and it is more than likely it is light refraction through these layers that is causing the red green flashing (heat rising from the day can cause shifting refraction, sort of like heat haze).

[Nigel C]

I never pictured you as a stargazer Browneye.

[Stephen Brown]

Got my own telescope and all there young Nige....