Something I Observed Last Night...

[Zombie_61]

Last night I accompanied our dog when he went out into our back yard to "take care of business" and patrol to make sure everything was in order and, as always, I took the opportunity to star gaze. I neglected to take note of the exact time, but I think it was some time between 11:30 p.m. and midnight (Pacific Daylight Time in the U.S.). In the sky directly south of the Los Angeles area I saw a round red light moving relatively slowly from west to east, which I initially thought was nothing more than the port-side navigation light on an aircraft; not at all uncommon in this area. But as I watched, what appeared to be a vapor cone, created by the object, became more and more visible, and the red light faded to orange, then yellow, then white, then back to red before disappearing entirely, though the vapor cone was still visible for several seconds. From the time I noticed it to the time it disappeared the event lasted approximately one minute, so it was nothing like the "shooting stars" I've seen from time to time. Here's a "quick and dirty" rendition of what I saw from my perspective:

I suppose it could have been an aircraft--it maintained a straight "course" (from my perspective) and speed similar to the airliners seen here. And the change in color could have been an effect of our atmosphere in the same way that it sometimes affects the perceived color of a star and makes the stars "twinkle". But the fact that the light disappeared while leaving a visible vapor cone suggests to me that the object was either natural or man-made, being incinerated as it passed through the atmosphere. Also, I can't imagine any pilot would turn off his/her aircraft's navigation lights while flying at night over such a heavily populated area, and I don't think it's possible for any known aircraft to create a vapor cone at such a "slow" speed.

I'm wondering if anyone else has ever seen such a thing? Perhaps our resident astronomer @alanfgag will read this and offer suggestions, or might have some actual information about the "event". I haven't seen mention of it on any of the local news sources, but I can't imagine I was the only person in all of southern California who saw it. So, thoughts?

Edit: Well, never mind, mystery solved. I should have checked the news reports again before I started this thread. Vandenberg Air Force Base, which is approximately 175 miles northwest of us, launched an Atlas V rocket last night shortly before 11:00 p.m. to place a U.S. "spy satellite" into orbit. Since I wasn't sure of the exact time the timing fits, and this photo taken from San Diego is a close enough match to my rather inaccurate rendering above:

I've seen a number of launches from Vandenberg AFB over the years because I've lived in this part of California my entire life, but none of them ever looked like what I saw last night so I hadn't even considered that as a possibility.

 

[GHT]

I'm wondering if anyone else has ever seen such a thing? Perhaps our resident astronomer @alanfgag will read this and offer suggestions, or might have some actual information about the "event". I haven't seen mention of it on any of the local news sources, but I can't imagine I was the only person in all of southern California who saw it. So, thoughts?

 

[tonyb]

What did you have for dinner?

 

[Zombie_61]

View attachment 87141

No, it wasn't my wife.

What did you have for dinner?

A huge breakfast burrito containing three eggs, cheese, hash browns, ham, sausage, and bacon. And a side of french fries. But I attended an event at a local beverage distributor yesterday afternoon and had more than a few "vitamin water" and "energy drink" samples, so that might have had something to do with it.

 

[alanfgag]

Great observation and explanation!

 

[Zombie_61]

Great observation and explanation!

Thank you Sir! I shall accept your comment as graciously as I can, and without any of my usual self-deprecating remarks. I've been casually fascinated with our "local" galaxy for as long as I can remember, and sincerely appreciate the wonderful photos you've shared with us over the years, not to mention those on your website.

 

[GHT]

A huge breakfast burrito containing three eggs, cheese, hash browns, ham, sausage, and bacon. And a side of french fries.

You haven't mentioned mushrooms, you know, the magic ones that can make colours, sounds and objects appear distorted, make your sense of time and movement speed up, or slow down and can make you may feel disoriented.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

I echo Alan's comment. Shame the enigma was solved , imagination is more fun than reality though being at the right place, at the right time to see a V rocket in flight is mega cool
" The truth is out there."

 

[Tiki Tom]

I too saw the thread title and was hoping for a good UFO story. Still, I agree that a rocket launch is pretty cool too. Nice reporting.

 

[GHT]

Well, never mind, mystery solved. I should have checked the news reports again before I started this thread. Vandenberg Air Force Base, which is approximately 175 miles northwest of us, launched an Atlas V rocket last night shortly before 11:00 p.m. to place a U.S. "spy satellite" into orbit.

Just recently I watched again the movie RED, the original one. John Malkovich is so brilliantly funny in that film. Paranoid about everyone and everything, he even sticks two fingers up to the spy satellite. It made me think that with our incomes going straight into our bank accounts, our spending being recorded on plastic card purchases and even our small cash transactions being recorded by our loyalty cards. All our movements being recorded on CCTV, new cars are fitted with cameras, drones are fitted with cameras and and and. It does make me wonder when spy satellites will become redundant and when Person of Interest will become a reality. Not that my missus would mind if it meant that she could meet Jim Caviezel.

 

[Zombie_61]

You haven't mentioned mushrooms, you know, the magic ones that can make colours, sounds and objects appear distorted, make your sense of time and movement speed up, or slow down and can make you may feel disoriented.

There's a good reason I didn't mention mushrooms--I don't care for them, magic or otherwise. If they're a minor ingredient in a recipe, fine, but if they become the dominant flavor you've used too many for my tastes. I did try the magic variety once in my younger days, but it tasted horrible and there weren't enough to have the desired effect so I never tried them again. Besides, once I went through that "experimental" stage I concluded I don't like anything that alters my mental faculties (such as they are); I rarely even drink alcohol.

I echo Alan's comment. Shame the enigma was solved , imagination is more fun than reality though being at the right place, at the right time to see a V rocket in flight is mega cool
" The truth is out there."

I too saw the thread title and was hoping for a good UFO story. Still, I agree that a rocket launch is pretty cool too. Nice reporting.

Thank you Gents! I knew it would only be a matter of time before someone mentioned the "UFO" angle, and you didn't disappoint. Because our universe (as we know and understand it) is so vast, I do think there must be some form of sentient, intelligent life out there somewhere. But, except for simple curiosity, I can't imagine why they would want to come to this relatively insignificant rock we call home. That said, I'm also a skeptic so my mind doesn't immediately leap to "The Martians are coming!"

As I mentioned upthread I have seen launches from Vandenberg AFB before. But until Saturday night they were all what most people would expect a rocket launch to be--it's leaving our atmosphere, and the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, so for the most part they all went straight up. Also, it's common for their initial trajectory to take them west over the Pacific Ocean where, in case they have to abort the flight for some reason, the rocket would "land" in the ocean where the risk to human life would be almost non-existent (though I'm sure the local sea life wouldn't be too pleased). So it was unusual to see one traveling from west to east where it would pass over occupied land.

Just recently I watched again the movie RED, the original one. John Malkovich is so brilliantly funny in that film. Paranoid about everyone and everything, he even sticks two fingers up to the spy satellite. It made me think that with our incomes going straight into our bank accounts, our spending being recorded on plastic card purchases and even our small cash transactions being recorded by our loyalty cards. All our movements being recorded on CCTV, new cars are fitted with cameras, drones are fitted with cameras and and and. It does make me wonder when spy satellites will become redundant and when Person of Interest will become a reality. Not that my missus would mind if it meant that she could meet Jim Caviezel.

Fun movie! I have, on occasion, met people who were nearly as paranoid as Malkovich's character, and that was before security cameras became so prevalent. These days it's almost understandable when someone voices their concerns about being under near-constant surveillance simply because it seems cameras are everywhere. For now, I don't really care one way or the other. I'm not a dishonest person, and I think I'm actually rather boring, so if someone wants to waste their time monitoring my activities for whatever reason, let 'em. There's really nothing I can do about it anyway, so I'm not going to waste my time and/or energy worrying about it. I've only seen one episode of Person of Interest (the pilot, I think) so I have no real frame of reference. But, based on things I've been told by people "in the know", the average person is regularly under more surveillance than they're even aware of. And in that regard, some would say there is no such thing as "redundant"; the more information, the better. Whether or not that information is "reality"...well, I'll leave that for wiser minds to decide.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I would like to have seen the Norway Spiral. It has happened more than once but it gets it's name from when Obama was in Norway to get his Nobel Peace Prize. The last occurrence that I am aware of was off the coast of CA. That time it was believed to have been a missile launched by the Chinese from a submarine in international waters to make a statement.

 

[sheeplady]

These days it's almost understandable when someone voices their concerns about being under near-constant surveillance simply because it seems cameras are everywhere. For now, I don't really care one way or the other. I'm not a dishonest person, and I think I'm actually rather boring, so if someone wants to waste their time monitoring my activities for whatever reason, let 'em. There's really nothing I can do about it anyway, so I'm not going to waste my time and/or energy worrying about it. I've only seen one episode of Person of Interest (the pilot, I think) so I have no real frame of reference. But, based on things I've been told by people "in the know", the average person is regularly under more surveillance than they're even aware of. And in that regard, some would say there is no such thing as "redundant"; the more information, the better. Whether or not that information is "reality"...well, I'll leave that for wiser minds to decide.

I have collegaues who study security and in major cities, you can be tracked the minute you step outside your private dwelling until you re-enter a private dwelling. That is, of course, using separate networks of cameras. And of course, many people have installed private "nanny cams" and "door cams" in their homes (to observe baby sitters and monitor pacakges, in addition to other things they may do with said cameras, ahem).

Heck, I was in a ladies room the other day and noticed a camera trained on the restroom (the sink and entrance area, not the stalls).

 

[GHT]

Heck, I was in a ladies room the other day and noticed a camera trained on the restroom (the sink and entrance area, not the stalls).

They are the cameras that you can see. We have new vehicles that have a forward facing camera and a reverse facing camera hidden inside the wing mirrors of cars. They are popular to prove who is at fault in a collision. They also dramatically reduce insurance premiums. I wonder if drivers realise that they also record speed.

 

[Zombie_61]

They are the cameras that you can see. We have new vehicles that have a forward facing camera and a reverse facing camera hidden inside the wing mirrors of cars. They are popular to prove who is at fault in a collision. They also dramatically reduce insurance premiums. I wonder if drivers realise that they also record speed.

And surely, at some point, the governments of the world will decide to make them mandatory just as they have with seat belts, and sell it as being "In the interest of public safety...".

 

[Hurricane Jack]

We have new vehicles that have a forward facing camera and a reverse facing camera hidden inside the wing mirrors of cars.

State Law Enforcement commonly has forward & rear facing cameras down low fed to a computer for the purpose of running license plates. After yrs of asking you to stay in your vehicle after being pulled over some HP's now ask you to get in their car while they write your ticket because they have an interior camera running facial recognition software on you.

 

[tonyb]

State Law Enforcement commonly has forward & rear facing cameras down low fed to a computer for the purpose of running license plates. After yrs of asking you to stay in your vehicle after being pulled over some HP's now ask you to get in their car while they write your ticket because they have an interior camera running facial recognition software on you.

I'm looking forward to the automated cop.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I'm looking forward to the automated cop.

I heard listening to talk radio the other day that babies born today will never actually drive a car. If that is true it means that within the next 16 yrs technology will have totally refined the driverless cars being tested now.

 

[tonyb]

I heard listening to talk radio the other day that babies born today will never actually drive a car. If that is true it means that within the next 16 yrs technology will have totally refined the driverless cars being tested now.

The technology is advancing more rapidly than I expected. We can foresee some of the implications, but certainly not all of them.

 

[tonyb]

As to those license plate reading cameras and software ...

A neighbor had his license to drive suspended, but maintained legal and registered ownership of the family car. He was in the passenger seat of the car as his wife drove when they got pulled over on account of cross-checking that showed the owner of the car to be unlicensed. So, the system got plenty of good information and still got it wrong.