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View Full Version : Big light in sky in Southeast Texas


missk
Apr 29, 2010, 10:00 AM
Saturday night I saw a very big light in the sky and it was pretty low in the sky. I wasn't sure if it was a star, planet or what. I couldn't find any information about it online.
I was so amused I called my mom to go outside and look, but she couldn't see it from her house because of the trees, so I picked her up and drove until we could see it. The next night on Sunday it was there again. I'm not sure what time it was maybe 8pm or 9pm, my husband was watching UFC so I asked him if he would come out the next commercial to see the light. I forgot about it so I guess it was about 10-12 minutes later, we went out to show him and it was gone! So then he's joking with me saying it was a UFO-he probably thought I'd lost it lol. I don't think it was a UFO. I don't know what it was, but I really want to know.
Does anyone know about this and what it may be?
It was a very clear night both nights and it was in the eastern part of the sky (I think) maybe a little north, but it was quite low. It was opposite of the moon.

missk
Apr 29, 2010, 10:04 AM
No it's not the east! It was the in the west!

missk
Apr 29, 2010, 10:06 AM
Maybe northwest, but more west than northwest if that makes sense.

Unknown008
Apr 29, 2010, 10:30 AM
Ok, OK OK. Pictures would have helped though ;)

We cannot say for sure if it's an UFO (Unidentified Flying Object). I don't think that it was aliens though. There must something like a projector, though it might be unlikely. But who knows, until we discover what that was? :)

ebaines
Apr 29, 2010, 01:17 PM
It was probably Venus - it's low in the northwest sky after dusk, and sets pretty early. See:
SkyandTelescope.com - This Week's Sky at a Glance (http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance)

missk
Apr 29, 2010, 06:47 PM
It was probably Venus - it's low in the northwest sky after dusk, and sets pretty early. See:
SkyandTelescope.com - This Week's Sky at a Glance (http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance)

That has to be it.
Thank you.

cdad
May 2, 2010, 07:19 AM
Another thing is it could have been military flares from an excersize. But if it held stead in the sky for longer then maybe 10 minutes then its most likely venus as the others have said. One way to tell that is pretty cool. If you indentify it as venus then get a telescope or benoculars and check it though the month. You will see it goes through phases as our moon does. Its fascinating to see the cosmos in action.

dada3232
Sep 2, 2010, 12:02 AM
I have been seeing the same light every night for the last two months and it is not venus... it appears around 8 and disappears around
10pm... clueless to what it is.. Does anyone know/?? /

dada3232
Sep 2, 2010, 12:05 AM
I have notice the same light in the sky for the last month... its start at about 8 and ends about 930pm.. it is not venus can anyone tell me what this light is... I am in houston Texas

ebaines
Sep 2, 2010, 05:59 AM
i have notice the same light in the sky for the last month...its start at about 8 and ends about 930pm..it is not venus can anyone tell me what this light is...i am in houston texas


Where in the sky does this light appear (what direction, and how high up from the horizon)? Does the light have any shape, or is it just a dot of light? What color is it? When it "ends" at about 9:30, does it just turn off, or do you mean that it has sunk below the horizon?

Please note that Venus, Mars and Saturn are all low in the southwest sky at dusk - see: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance Can you say for certain that it's not one of those?

dada3232
Sep 2, 2010, 05:26 PM
Where in the sky does this light appear (what direction, and how high up from the horizon)? Does the light have any shape, or is it just a dot of light? What color is it? When it "ends" at about 9:30, does it just turn off, or do you mean that it has sunk below the horizon?

Please note that Venus, Mars and Saturn are all low in the southwest sky at dusk - see: SkyandTelescope.com - This Week's Sky at a Glance (http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance) Can you say for certain that it's not one of those?

Well if I am on 59 driving north towards downtown, it is on my left... for certain it is to low to be a planet... it is lower than most planes that are driving by... and it's there every night... just take a lookie... and well it just disappears it doesn't go up or down just vanishes

cdad
Sep 2, 2010, 05:52 PM
well if i am on 59 driving north towards downtown, it is on my left...for certain it is to low to be a planet...it is lower than most planes that are driving by...and its there every night...just take a lookie... and well it just disappears it doesnt go up or down just vanishes

Have you tried using any optics to see it with? Binoculars or telescope or anything? Does it have a shape to it? Inner planets go through phases like our moon and outer planets don't.

ebaines
Sep 3, 2010, 04:42 AM
well if i am on 59 driving north towards downtown, it is on my left...for certain it is to low to be a planet...it is lower than most planes that are driving by...and its there every night...just take a lookie... and well it just disappears it doesnt go up or down just vanishes

Sounds exactly like Venus. I don't know what you mean by "it is too low to be a planet" - if you checked out the link I included in my earlier post you'll see that Venus is low in the western sky at dusk. My guess is that at certain points in your drive you have a good view toward the horizon and you see it, and at other points your view is blocked a bit - maybe by hills or trees - so you don't see it. I suggest next time you see it, stop the car, get out and watch for a few minutes. If it's a steady light, quite bright and low towards the horizon, then it's definitely Venus.

asking
Sep 5, 2010, 09:02 AM
well if i am on 59 driving north towards downtown, it is on my left...for certain it is to low to be a plan

I vote Venus setting too. I'm guessing it disappears on arrival in outskirts of downtown, occluded by buildings or a low hill.

missk
Dec 17, 2010, 06:41 PM
Interesting... I'm also in the Houston Texas area. I concluded it was Venus though, but I could be wrong.