# A light in the sky in northern Norway **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 9, 2009, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578 "2009-12-09T11:27:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/21 "2009-12-09T15:47:31Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > [Artist’s impression](http://www.allnewsweb.com/page9799899.php). 😉 I love this comment from that page: > [@](#): > > this is scary, because I am guessing it might be related to the collider experiments, a mini black hole that escaped, sucked in a bunch of atmospheric gases as it left our orbit by virtue of it’s own inertia. I am not as comfortable about this observation as any other ufo report. Me, I’m going with Russian missile with a bad sense of direction. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/22 "2009-12-09T15:53:40Z")
> [@qazwart](#): > > It was Venus? Reflected in some swamp gas, yes. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/23 "2009-12-09T17:02:35Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Reflected in some swamp gas, yes. What? No weather balloon? ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/24 "2009-12-09T17:17:30Z")
Having read more about it, I’m just wondering if there is any geophysical reason why an event at the collider might manifest over Norway? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/25 "2009-12-09T17:33:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Witnesses from Trøndelag to Finnmark > **[Anyone for some Arctic roll? Mystery as spiral blue light display hovers...](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1234430/Mystery-spiral-blue-light-display-hovers-Norway.html)** > > Witnesses from Trøndelag to Finnmark compared the amazing display to anything from a Russian rocket to a meteor or shock wave - although no one appears to have mentioned UFOs yet. So, Hammerfest to Trondheim or so, [about 400 miles.](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/no.html) [Distance to horizon calculator](http://www.ringbell.co.uk/info/hdist.htm) gives a required altitude of about 100,000 feet for a horizon of 400 miles. That’s 19 miles high. That’s pretty low for auroras: > [@](#): > > [Auroras](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_%28astronomy%29) are the result of the emissions of photons in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, above 80 km (50 miles But it’s awful high for an art student with a [Kleig light](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klieg_light) and a laser. Of course, witnesses have been known to embellish on reality… ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/26 "2009-12-09T17:40:58Z")
Hammerfest News from November 11: [Mystisk lysfenomen i Hammerfest](http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/norge/1.6844906) Strange light in sky, with picture. It was a [Russian missile test, and this week’s light might be more of the same.](http://www.barentsobserver.com/failed-missile-launch-caused-strange-light-over-northern-norway.4663494-58932.html) ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/27 "2009-12-09T17:44:09Z")
The cellphone image from the OP looks exactly like a wormhole opening up, so I"m going with that. This is very exciting. I wonder how long we’ve had wormhole technology? ---
**Author:** ![unclelem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ac91a4/32.png) [@unclelem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclelem)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/28 "2009-12-09T18:06:23Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Hammerfest News from November 11: > [Mystisk lysfenomen i Hammerfest](http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/norge/1.6844906) > Strange light in sky, with picture. > It was a [Russian missile test, and this week’s light might be more of the same.](http://www.barentsobserver.com/failed-missile-launch-caused-strange-light-over-northern-norway.4663494-58932.html) Too bad they didn’t wait a couple more days. It would have been especially spectacular if the lightshow had occurred on St. Lucia on the 13th. Early St Lucia miracle anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/29 "2009-12-09T18:10:22Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I wonder how long we’ve had wormhole technology? What do you mean “We”? ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/30 "2009-12-09T18:18:10Z")
Just stumbled across this – I think the Russian missile test is the most likely explanation, and can easily account for the whitish spiral, and the blue part might be the missile going up, already somewhat unstable – though, does anybody have a good guess as to why it’s blue? And does the direction work out? Russia is denying everything, but if this was actually a secret test (Norway apparently hadn’t been informed, as it should have been if this was a test), that’s probably not too much of a surprise. [Here’s](http://www.itromso.no/bilder/article316420.ece?imageIndex=3#pageTop) another site with a couple of pictures. Whatever it is, it sure is pretty – I would’ve loved to see it life. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/31 "2009-12-09T18:32:30Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > What? No weather balloon? At that latitude? Be serious. > [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > though, does anybody have a good guess as to why it’s blue? Well, if someone lit your … wait, that’s the wrong joke. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/32 "2009-12-09T20:58:33Z")
The bad astronomer thinks it is a rocket. [http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/](http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/33 "2009-12-09T21:01:35Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > The bad astronomer thinks it is a rocket. > > [http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/](http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/) > [@Bad Astronomer](#): > > My first reaction when I saw that was, “What the FRAK is THAT?!” Glad to know a lot of us are in good company. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/34 "2009-12-09T21:06:33Z")
Another vote for rocket too from this non-expert in anything. Back in the eighties I remember a “comet-y” looking thing appeared in the sky where I lived in Wisconsin…if I’m remembering correctly, it was a stage of a Japanese rocket “slowly” (from our perspective) falling back to Earth burning up and trailing propellant. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/35 "2009-12-09T21:11:59Z")
> **[APOD: 2007 November 16 - Rocket Fuel](https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap071116.html)** > > A different astronomy and space science > related image is featured each day, along with a brief explanation. > **[APOD: 2007 February 26 - A Rocket Debris Cloud Drifts](https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070226.html)** > > A different astronomy and space science > related image is featured each day, along with a brief explanation. > **[APOD: 2005 September 28 - A Rocket Launch at Sunset](https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap050928.html)** > > A different astronomy and space science > related image is featured each day, along with a brief explanation. [http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020926.html](http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020926.html) ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/36 "2009-12-09T21:42:21Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > …does anybody have a good guess as to why it’s blue? Liquid oxygen is blue. And those pictures are long exposure - it might not have been so blue to the naked eye (the videos I’ve seen don’t seem to show any blue). What _is_ weird is that [the blue streak stayed in the sky](http://www.itromso.no/bilder/article316420.ece?imageIndex=9#pageTop) as dawn came up. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/37 "2009-12-09T22:18:19Z")
> [@ZomZom](#): > > The video reminded me of what I had hoped to see back in [1991](http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/1991/91-009.txt). Unfortunately I didn’t see squat. I haven’t heard of any similar experiments of late but it might fit the scenario. I even took a picture of it. But I haven’t a clue if I still have it. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/38 "2009-12-09T23:27:57Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > This is a very hasty conclusion; the kind that gives knee-jerk skeptics a bad name. Plus, your explanation of the blue stream seems a trifle far fetched too - e.g. how was the blue light illuminated? Why did it turn white when it ‘projected’ onto something? The blue streak would be an artifact of the long exposure, eg the very faint beam turned blue when captured for a long enough period due to a slight blue hue in the light. When its reflecting off the clouds and moving faster it stays white. I maintain that to anyone that has worked a lot with professional lighting at that level it immediately looks like a simple gobo (goes before optics) > **[Gobo (lighting)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gobo_(lighting))** > > A gobo is an object placed inside or in front of a light source to control the shape of the emitted light and its shadow. > For studio photography purposes, the term "gobo" has come to refer to any device that casts a shadow, and various pieces of equipment that go in front of a light (such as a gobo arm or gobo head). > In theatrical lighting, however, the term more specifically refers to a device placed in "the gate" or at the "point of focus" between the light source, called a lamp, and the le... With a very powerful light source and waiting until there is very high cloud cover it could be seen over a long distance… or alternatively if it was an elaborate prank they could simply have setup projectors in different cities projecting the same thing at the same time so it appeared to be one image. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/39 "2009-12-09T23:32:04Z")
“‘It was like a giant spiral - a shooting star that spun around and around. I initially thought it was a projector’, added Axel Rose Berg, from Alta.” This made me laugh. It’s obviously an Anomaly. Stalker…Get out of here, Stalker! ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578/40 "2009-12-10T00:10:17Z")
It’s obviously the Wyrm trying to manifest high above Gaia. Whether it is the Defiler Wyrm, Beast Of War, or Eater Of Souls I cannot say at this point. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-light-in-the-sky-in-northern-norway/520578.md?page=3)