UFOs

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UFOs

Postby brainpanhandler » Sun Oct 17, 2010 5:42 am

I see unidentified flying/falling objects all the time, practically every night. No doubt most of what I see has a perfectly mundane explanation. Not more than 2 minutes ago something fell from the sky to the southeast of where I live and burned up in a long, bright streak as it disappeared behind some trees on the horizon. The reason I noticed it at all was because the final flash caused by it's burn up in the atmosphere was bright enough to briefly light up the entire night sky. My first reaction was, "holy shit". I doubt anyone will have gotten that on video as it was very brief, but maybe it will appear somewhere in the news.

I've probably seen more falling stars in the last 3 months than I have in my entire life. The perseids meteor showers this past august were spectacular.

Yesterday night I was observing what was undoubtedly a plane fly overhead and out of the corner of my eye I saw a small white flash. I turned to look in that direction and didn't see anything. I looked back at the plane I was watching and saw the flash again out of the corner of my eye. I again looked in the area where the white flash was coming from. This time I stared until I saw the flash again. The skies were crystal clear. I kept watching expecting that the next flash would be in another area of the sky. It wasn't. The next flash was in exactly the same spot. That got my attention. But I thought, "Well, maybe it's just a plane which is flying directly away from me and so the flash appears to be stationary". But there was about twenty seconds between flashes, which makes no sense for a plane and besides, planes have all sorts of beacons and flashing lights, not just one white blinking light with a frequency of twenty seconds. I saw this flash 5 times and then it just stopped. Now what the hell was that? I don't know.

I remember thinking as a kid that if the aliens were smart they would cover their craft with lights which would mimic terrestrial craft so they could fly around without suspicion. I was a paranoid kid. Still am I guess. Recently I have been paying close attention to planes flying overhead at night. I always figured that the beacons and lights on planes followed some sort of standardized convention/s. But I swear, I see a huge variety of colors, frequency of flashing, numbers of lights. It seems like I rarely see two craft which are identical.

Image


I mean, it seems like descriptions of flying objects which are behaving in ways which are decidedly non-terrestrial, often have descriptions of light patterns and schemes which are pretty terrestrial and not terribly out of the ordinary. Ya know? Like, flashing red and green lights [which would correspond with terrestrial "navigation lights".] Somehow I think the lighting on alien craft ought to be, well, more alien or if super secret terrestrial craft then, super secret fancy smancy lighting.

Here's an explanation of the lighting schemes and their functions for commercial aircraft:


The external lights on aircraft fall into two general categories. The first is navigation lights or beacons that are always illuminated while the aircraft is in operation. A second type includes takeoff and landing lights that are used to improve visibility when the plane is close to or on the ground. Several of these lights are discussed in greater detail below.

Navigation lights: All aircraft are equipped with a steady light near the leading edge of each wingtip. When facing forward from the perspective of the pilot, the light on the right wingtip is green while that on the left wing is red. The different colors make it possible for an outside observer, such as the pilot of another aircraft, to determine which direction the plane is flying. These navigation lights are most useful at night when it is more difficult to tell the direction the plane is going without them.

Navigation or Position lights: In addition to the red and green lights, most planes are also fitted with other steady white navigation lights in various locations. Large airliners, in particular, will often have such lighting on the trailing edge of each wingtip. These lights are also sometimes placed along the trailing edges of the horizontal tail. Another popular location is at the very aft end of the fuselage or at the top of the vertical tail. One of these latter lights placed along the aircraft centerline is especially common on smaller airliners and commuter planes. Whatever the location, the purpose of these steady white lights is to improve the plane's visibility from behind the aircraft.

Anti-Collision Beacon lights: Two beacon lights are fitted to aircraft near the center of the fuselage. One is located on top of the fuselage and the other on the bottom. These lights are colored reddish orange and rotate to produce a flashing effect. The beacons are turned on just before the engines are started and they remain active until the last engine is shut down. The beacons help to serve as a safety warning to ground personnel that the engines are operational.

Strobe lights: High-intensity strobe lights that flash a white-colored light are located on each wingtip. Most smaller planes are only equipped with one of these strobes near the leading edge just behind the red or green navigation light. Larger airliners may be equipped with an additional strobe at the trailing edge as well. These flashing lights are very bright and intended to attract attention during flight. They are sometimes also used on the runway and during taxi to make the plane more conspicuous.

Logo lights: These lights are not required but are common on most commercial aircraft. The lights are usually located on the surface of or at the tips of the horizontal stabilizer. The steady white lights are used to illuminate the company's logo painted on the vertical tail. While useful for advertising, the primary purpose of these lights is safety since the bright lights help to make the plane more visible.

Wing lights: Many airliners feature lights along the root of the wing leading edge that can be used to illuminate the wing and engine pylons in flight. These lights may be used to make the plane more visible during takeoff and landing or to inspect the wings for damage in flight. Pilots can also use the wing lights to inspect the wings and slats for any ice accretion that might build up when flying through clouds.

Taxi lights: A bright white lamp is located on the nose landing gear strut of most planes. This light is typically turned on whenever the aircraft is in motion on the ground for greater visibility during taxi, takeoff, and landing.

Landing lights: Bright white landing lights are usually fitted to most planes for enhanced visibility during the landing approach. These lights can also be used to illuminate the runway at poorly lit airports. They are often required for night landings but also commonly used during the day as well to make the plane more noticeable. While the usage of these lights is common, their location can vary from plane to plane. Landing lights may be located in the wing root, in the outboard wing, or somewhere along the forward fuselage. Some aircraft are equipped with multiple sets of landing lights in more than one of these locations. The 737, for example, has inboard landing lights located in the wing root as well as outboard landing lights in the outboard flap fairings.

Runway Turnoff lights: Usually located in the leading edge of the wing root, these bright white lamps are intended to provide side and forward lighting during taxi and when turning off the runway. These lights are most useful at poorly lit airports but are usually unnecessary. The lights can also be used in flight if greater visibility is required.

Wheel Well lights: Some planes are equipped with additional lights in the nose and main gear wheel wells. These lights are provided primarily to assist ground personnel in making pre-flight inspections of a plane at night.



http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/el ... 0263.shtml
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Re: UFOs

Postby Luther Blissett » Sun Oct 17, 2010 3:06 pm

Have you had any encounters you feel could never be explained by mundanacity?
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Re: UFOs

Postby anothershamus » Sun Oct 17, 2010 10:34 pm

I saw tumbling green boulders one time, in the sunset. They didn't hit the ground but I saw them. Close in at the sunset.
)'(
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Re: UFOs

Postby NaturalMystik » Sun Oct 17, 2010 11:16 pm

I meant to post this earlier, but over the last couple of weeks I've seen some strange falling stars. What makes them strange is that I saw them in the city, where the sky is usually too obscured to see shooting stars. They were very low, more in the range of a back-yard firework, but different. I was wondering if anyone else had been seeing any unusual shooting stars as of late...
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Re: UFOs

Postby ilyinternet » Mon Oct 18, 2010 12:08 am

Yeah couple of quick things. My friend remarked to me yesterday "I swear i see more shooting stars now than when i was a kid" (he's 20). Also I saw a super bright chinese lantern while having a cig on my doorstep. As SOON as i saw it I shouted to my mum and brother to come quick and look cus i thought it was a ufo. Straight away my brother told me "that's a chinese lantern". Made me realize how much I want to see a ufo.
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Re: UFOs

Postby brainpanhandler » Mon Oct 18, 2010 6:00 am

Luther Blissett wrote:Have you had any encounters you feel could never be explained by mundanacity?


I've had some strange experiences that are unexplained but explainable.

NaturalMystik wrote:I meant to post this earlier, but over the last couple of weeks I've seen some strange falling stars. What makes them strange is that I saw them in the city, where the sky is usually too obscured to see shooting stars. They were very low, more in the range of a back-yard firework, but different. I was wondering if anyone else had been seeing any unusual shooting stars as of late...


ilyinternet wrote:Yeah couple of quick things. My friend remarked to me yesterday "I swear i see more shooting stars now than when i was a kid" (he's 20).


Seriously, I was seeing so many falling stars in August that I had to look it up on the internet. And then I was like, ah, the perseids. But then it's just continued on and on and on. I mean I can't quantify the frequency and say for sure it's any greater than at any other time in my life but it certainly seems to be. And yeah, I have seen two really bright, spectacular meteors. Long bright streaks with an explosive flash at the end, very reminiscent of fireworks. Although the one I saw the other night was bright enough to light up the entire sky. Since I was a kid growing up in texas I've always been a star gazer. I used to fall asleep out in the back yard in a lawn chair. There's something very primal about it. I mean our ancestors for perhaps tens of thousands of years have looked at essentially the same stars. What did they make of falling stars.

ilyinternet wrote:Made me realize how much I want to see a ufo.


I've wanted to see one all my life and of course technically I see them all the time, but you know what I mean. I think it would disturb the hell out of me now, not that I'm not already disturbed. I have an uncle that saw a ship on the ground. He and his buddies were driving when they saw it and pulled over to take a closer look and it took off and disappeared. He won't talk about it anymore.

anothershamus wrote:I saw tumbling green boulders one time, in the sunset. They didn't hit the ground but I saw them. Close in at the sunset.


What?
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Re: UFOs

Postby brainpanhandler » Mon Oct 18, 2010 8:42 am

btw Luther, I've never been to mundanacity. I've heard it's a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there.
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Re: UFOs

Postby Luther Blissett » Mon Oct 18, 2010 9:23 am

UFOs have been a part of my family history my entire life (maternal grandfather was a high-ranking FAA officer with his own complicated, disturbing story; both parents fascinated by the subject; mother a co-witness with my grandfather, uncles and grandmother) but I had never seen anything I could have classified as out-of-the-ordinary until this year when I saw some really insane (most likely) ball lightning during a massive storm in the beginning of the summer, and a weird, floating, dark, metallic, blinking sphere in the middle of the day a few months ago.

As a paper boy in my teens I saw a ton of meteorites, some of which had some pretty spectacular breakups, and once I saw a transformer explode on the horizon (I think).
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Re: UFOs

Postby beeline » Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:21 am

http://skytour.homestead.com/met2010.html


The major showers listed here are fairly reliable and occur every year. However, meteor activity is visible on any clear night. Random sporadic meteors, minor showers, and major showers near the beginning or end of their activity period all contribute to this "background". For the Northern Hemisphere, there is a general pattern of lower rates during the first half of the year and higher rates during the second half, but rates vary greatly from hour to hour, day to day, and observer to observer. Occasionally, unexpected high activity occurs. It is up to the observer to objectively describe what was seen. In many cases, high activity may be ascribed to randomness. At other times, many of the meteors seen may be attributed to a common radiant.
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Re: UFOs

Postby Cosmic Cowbell » Mon Oct 18, 2010 11:47 am

I suppose I could contribute something here but, since my experiences didn't involve anything "unidentified" (I know exactly what they were) and in a few instances, they weren't "flying" but rather were landed, I consider anything I might have to add here somewhat off topic (not that it's stopped me before...but ).



:mrgreen:
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Re: UFOs

Postby brainpanhandler » Mon Oct 18, 2010 12:12 pm

Cosmic Cowbell wrote:I suppose I could contribute something here but, since my experiences didn't involve anything "unidentified" (I know exactly what they were) and in a few instances, they weren't "flying" but rather were landed, I consider anything I might have to add here somewhat off topic (not that it's stopped me before...but ).



:mrgreen:



OT? no, not really. I've never objected to anyone going ot in a thread I started anyway. That's just how I roll.

I've seen you relate your experiences a couple of times over the years. I wouldn't mind reading you describe things again. Up to you.

I know when I saw The Ufo Incident as a kid it scared the crap out of me.



I wasn't so keen on meeting any aliens after that but I still wanted to see a ufo.
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Re: UFOs

Postby norton ash » Mon Oct 18, 2010 12:36 pm

The Benny Hill UFO Incident video isn't quite as frightening. Benny and the little old guy land in a flying saucer and are discovered by some girls in bikinis, and they chase each other around.

:oops: Couldn't... RESIST... sorry, back to topic.
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Re: UFOs

Postby Simulist » Mon Oct 18, 2010 12:56 pm

:D
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Re: UFOs

Postby Sepka » Mon Oct 18, 2010 4:27 pm

brainpanhandler wrote:I remember thinking as a kid that if the aliens were smart they would cover their craft with lights which would mimic terrestrial craft so they could fly around without suspicion.


I think it was Frank Edwards who pointed out that during the early 1950s, people began seeing flying saucers displaying red and green lights similar to those of airplanes.
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Re: UFOs

Postby brainpanhandler » Tue Oct 19, 2010 7:26 am

So I'm outside having a cigarette this morning, looking at the predawn night sky. It's absolutely crystal clear and I see another one of these white flashes of light. I wasn't looking directly at it, but unless I'm hallucinating [a possibility] there was a small white flash of light. These flashes of light are roughly the brightness of a planet and appear to be at high altitude. It's kind of hard to tell, but they definitely do not seem to be very close to the earth at all. I looked and looked but never saw another flash of light. Just one flash of white light and that's it. What the hell are these flashes of light I was thinking when I see another one out of the corner of my eye in an entirely different area of the sky. So I stare in that area for awhile. Nothing. Now I really am wondering what these flashes of light are. I don't recall ever having seen them before.
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