People see many things in the night sky that they do not understand. Often they are common objects that you may have not seen before. I have yet to see a true UFO. This list is some common things you might see; some will be familiar.
Stars and planets – white dots, not moving. Airplanes – red or green lights, blinking white lights. Satellites – white dots moving slowly across the sky. Meteors – white, red, or green streaks across the sky. Iridium flare satellites – a short, very bright white “dash” in the sky. Birds or bats – objects that seem to change direction very quickly, the sun reflecting off their bodies. Meteors – a dot getting brighter and brighter and suddenly vanishing, meteors coming straight at you.
To check out the wonders of the night sky, join us at the observatory for Public Night on the first Friday each month from sunset to 10 p.m.: humbleisd.net/observatory.
By Dr. Aaron B. Clevenson
Observatory Director, Insperity Observatory
