| ID | #1689689982 |
| Added | Tue, 18/07/2023 |
| Author | July N. |
| Sources | |
| Phenomena | |
| Status | Fact
|
Initial data
Date: Saturday, January 12, 2008
Time: 2:35 a.m. approx.
Location: Rangiora North, Canterbury, South Island
Features/Characteristics: bright light moves chaotically, abruptly changes direction
Description:
The duration of observation is about 30-40 seconds.
The observer looked to the south and observed the Southern Cross low in the sky. The sky was clear between a thick northwest cloud and clouds in the east over the sea. It was a starry night. Suddenly, she noticed a bright white light, larger than a bright star, in the area of the sky that she was observing right above the Southern Cross.
At first she just thought it was a star until it started moving in an unusual way. The observer described it as slower than a shooting star, but brighter and faster than a satellite. The light moved rapidly from west to east before suddenly and abruptly turning 45 degrees and heading towards earth.
The object did not move in a straight line or curve, but moved randomly – down, deviating to the left, down, deviating to the right, etc., quickly changing direction before disappearing from view, hiding behind an eastern cloud.
The observer claims that a few years ago she completed a course in astronomy at the University of Canterbury and has an amateur, but constant interest in the night sky. She noted that she had never seen such an oddity in the sky before.
Original news
Date: Saturday 12 January 2008
Time: 2.35 am approx.
Location: Rangiora North, Canterbury, South Island
Features/characteristics: bright light moves erratically;changes direction abruptly
Description:
Duration of sighting approx. 30-40 seconds.
The observer was looking south and observed the Southern Cross low in the sky. The sky was clear between a thick northwest cloud bank and cloud to the east over the sea. It was a starry night. She suddenly noticed a bright white light, larger than a bright star, in the area of sky she was observing just above the Southern Cross. At first she just thought it was a star until it began to move in an unusual way. The observer described it as slower than a shooting star, but brighter and faster than a satellite. The light traveled rapidly from west to east before suddenly and abruptly turning 45 degrees and heading towards the land. The object did not travel in a straight line or curve, but moved erratically – down, veered to the left, down, veered to the right etc, changing direction rapidly before being lost from view by dropping behind eastern cloud.
The observer states that she completed a course in astronomy at the University of Canterbury several years ago, and has an amateur but ongoing interest in the night sky. She commented that she has never before observed such an oddity in the sky.
Hypotheses
Investigation
Resume
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