# What did I see? Astronomy Question
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 17, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079 "2003-09-17T03:04:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Hanayatori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanayatori)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079/1 "2003-09-17T03:04:18Z")
At four o’clock this morning I looked out my bedroom window and saw something bigger and brighter than a star in the eastern sky. It was so bright that I could actually see it flickering. It seemed to change from blue to red to blue to red, and a few times it almost seemed to fade out completely. I’m in the northern hemisphere. Does anyone have any idea of what it was? Was it Venus?
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079/2 "2003-09-17T03:18:34Z")
Probably Mars. During its close approach to the Earth it outshines everything in the sky save the Sun and the Moon. The color shift can be explained by atmospheric refraction, which is especially noticeable in objects near the horizon.
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### Author:  [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079/3 "2003-09-17T03:19:27Z")
Almost certainly, yes. Venus is always in the direction of the sun (so east in the morning), it’s the first “star” you see at night and the last in the morning.
The flickering is most likely because some high thin clouds were passing between you and it.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079/4 "2003-09-17T03:19:57Z")
Oh, and Venus is an evening object this month.
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079/5 "2003-09-17T03:20:49Z")
Venus isn’t up in the early morning just now. Your star _might_ have been Sirius, Mars, or possibly even a reflection off the International space station.
You can type in the location and time [here](http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/almanac/), and see what was up.
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### Author:  [@Hanayatori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanayatori)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079/6 "2003-09-17T03:27:07Z")
I didn’t think it was Mars because, if I’m not mistaken, we see that as early as eight in the evening.
What does it mean that Venus is an evening object this month? Can you tell I know nothing about astronomy? 🙂
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079/7 "2003-09-17T03:33:08Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Hanayatori \*
> \*\*I didn’t think it was Mars because, if I’m not mistaken, we see that as early as eight in the evening.
>
> What does it mean that Venus is an evening object this month? Can you tell I know nothing about astronomy? 🙂 \*\*
Ack, you DID say in the east, so the object was rising. Anywho, Venus can only be seen in the evening this month. In the morning, it doesn’t rise until after the Sun does, and so is not visible.
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### Author:  [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079/8 "2003-09-17T03:37:54Z")
Could it have been an airplane seen from head-on/tail-on?
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### Author:  [@Hanayatori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanayatori)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079/9 "2003-09-17T03:40:04Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Squink \*
> \*\*Venus isn’t up in the early morning just now. Your star _might_ have been Sirius, Mars, or possibly even a reflection off the International space station.
> You can type in the location and time [here](http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/almanac/), and see what was up. \*\*
This is a very interesting site. It does indeed appear that Sirius was in that general area at the right time.
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### Author:  [@Hanayatori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanayatori)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079/10 "2003-09-17T03:42:03Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Trigonal Planar \*
> \*\*Could it have been an airplane seen from head-on/tail-on? \*\*
I watched it for a good ten minutes and it didn’t seem to be moving, but I was tired and having a hard time focusing on it. I even looked at it through binoculars, but that didn’t make anything clearer.
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### Author:  [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079/11 "2003-09-17T03:46:07Z")
God, don’t I love that interactive sky chart!
Sirius can have some fantastic refractions when low in the sky.
Mmmmm. Dog stars…
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### Author:  [@Hanayatori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanayatori)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079/12 "2003-09-17T03:51:52Z")
Well, I’m satisfied. Thanks everyone for your help. 🙂
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### Author:  [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079/13 "2003-09-17T04:00:02Z")
Did it have any strobes or move at angles…and do you have any sense of missing time? 😃
**Mmmmm. Dog stars…** I hear ya **M&M** Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Benji…
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### Author:  [@Hanayatori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanayatori)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079/14 "2003-09-17T04:04:24Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by t-keela \*
> \*\*Did it have any strobes or move at angles…and do you have any sense of missing time? 😃
> **Mmmmm. Dog stars…** I hear ya **M&M** Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Benji… \*\*
No, and no unusual marks on my body. My cats haven’t been mutilated either…😉
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### Author:  [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2003, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-astronomy-question/202079/15 "2003-09-17T07:18:58Z")
Almost certainly Sirius; I saw it myself this morning;
fairly low in the sky, the old Dogstar twinkles famously in shades of blue green and red.
Also visible in the morning sky at the moment are Saturn (high up near the Twins Castor and Pollux) and Orion, the stars of the belt pointing straight at Sirius.
* * *
SF worldbuilding at
[http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html](http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html)