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Spirals of blue light in New Zealand night sky leave stargazers ‘kind of freaking out’
The Guardian ^ | Sun 19 Jun 2022 21.38 EDT | Tess McClure in Auckland

Posted on 06/20/2022 8:08:37 AM PDT by BenLurkin

Alasdair Burns, a stargazing guide on Stewart Island/Rakiura, received a text from a friend: go outside and look at the sky. “As soon as we actually went outside, it was very obvious what it was he was referring to,” Burns said.

He saw a huge, blue spiral of light amid the darkness. “It looked like an enormous spiral galaxy, just hanging there in the sky, and slowly just drifting across,” Burns said.


A spiral of blue lights as seen from Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand, on Sunday. Theories on social media about its origins ranged from aliens to foreign rockets to commercial displays.
Photograph: Alasdair Burns/Twinkle Dark Sky Tours

The country’s stargazing and amateur astronomy social media groups lit up with people posting photographs and questions about the phenomenon, which was visible from most of the South Island. Theories abounded – from UFOs to foreign rockets to commercial light displays.

The reality was likely a little more prosaic, said Prof Richard Easther, a physicist at Auckland University...Easther said the rocket in question was likely the Globalstar launch from SpaceX, which the company sent into low-earth orbit off Cape Canaveral in Florida on Sunday.

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Miscellaneous; Science
KEYWORDS: alasdairburns; astronomy; ccp; china; newzealand; science; stewartisland; tessmcclure
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To: BenLurkin

New Zealand is a beautiful country. Hope it comes to its senses soon.


21 posted on 06/20/2022 9:17:27 AM PDT by Freee-dame
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To: BenLurkin

Last summer I saw a bright orange-red light hanging in the night sky, I was able to watch it very slowly move. It was almost as large as the full moon.

I eventually figured it out, it was an Osprey aircraft with the rotor blade LED turned on. They do that so other Ospreys can follow in formation. Learned something new but it was exciting at the time. Thought I finally got to see a UFO.


22 posted on 06/20/2022 10:07:22 AM PDT by Doctor Congo
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To: Yo-Yo

I don’t know enough science to understand how a missile can cause this phenomenon. Is it reacting with the ionosphere?


23 posted on 06/20/2022 10:09:17 AM PDT by Doctor Congo
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To: Doctor Congo
I don’t know enough science to understand how a missile can cause this phenomenon. Is it reacting with the ionosphere?

Vapors being backlit by an over-the-horizon Sun.

Here is a brief explaination:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5_8MVctp30

24 posted on 06/20/2022 10:37:20 AM PDT by Yo-Yo (Is the /Sarc tag really necessary? Pray for President Biden: Psalm 109:8)
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To: Doctor Congo

I don’t know if the Osprey has led lights on its blade, but I have seen static electricity discharge on the ends of helicopter blades, Huey, Chinook, Cobra, Blackhawks, Apaches, really wicked looking, looked like large moving circles of electricity. Under night-vision goggles it was like an electrical fireworks show.


25 posted on 06/20/2022 2:30:35 PM PDT by Ponyexpress9790
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To: BenLurkin

.


26 posted on 06/20/2022 3:31:25 PM PDT by sauropod (It's too bad all the people who know how to run the country are busy cutting hair.)
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