Cool things you've seen in the sky

[deer of the dawn]

I've seen (several times) double rainbows and once seen both ends of a rainbow.
Tried to take pictures of these, but never seem to get the image on film.

Seen so many full-arc rainbows and double rainbows, I couldn't tell you. The coolest rainbow I ever saw was a rainbow circle around the sun, intersected by another white circle the same size, which also intersected the sun. Wow!

In Nigeria several years ago at sunset the clouds were all orange, except in the east the sky was black with clouds, flashing with lightning, and there was a brilliant rainbow as well.

I also keep my eyes peeled for sun dogs and coronas (colors in clouds usually only visible with sunglasses on).

Saw northern lights several times when I lived in Vermont, where the sky is actually dark and clear at night, and a couple great comets (Hale-Bopp was the best).

Finally, I almost hate to admit it, but a VERY long time ago I was in the New Mexico desert and saw a strange light moving across the sky, with a large arc of light preceding it... a friend of mine also in the desert more than 200 miles away saw it too the same night... I'm not saying.

What cool sky phenomena have you been blessed to see?

[[Syl]]

The Leonid Shower of 2001 in the Nevada desert. Froze my ass off, but it was worth it.

I've also seen a few flaming streaks like you've described (blue, orange, and white). IIRC, it has something to do with the high altitude and low humidity. The most impressive one was the blue one. It traveled in an almost straight line from west to east and pulsated. Lit up the whole sky.

I've also seen the stars breathe and shimmer, almost as if they were floating on the waves, but that was a special circumstance.

[danlo]

That was my lightship you knuckleheads! I saw a white triangular object moving at a high rate of speed way up in the sky when I was playing basketball at Air Crew school in Pensacola in '80. Then again, it could have been a piece of trash...

[Demondime-a-dozen-spawn]

I've seen a total eclipse of the sun.

Total eclipse of the Moon.

Seen the Concorde soaring overhead.

Saw a spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis back in the winter of '99 I think it was. Lasted over several nights.

Saw an unidentified flying object. Five to seven red lights in a "V" formation.

Saw Saturn through a telescope. Small as a pin head, but the rings were prominent.

Have seen Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn over the span of one night.

Saw a meteor that could be heard. A fireball that left an afterglow. I thought it was coming right at me!

[stonemaybe]

Seen a couple of sun-bows (is a sun bow a partial sun dog or the other way around? anyway, not so common in the UK and worth remembering!!)

Total eclipse of the sun. It was cloudy but still one of the coolest experiences of my life, seeing the edge of the darkness coming towards you and then moving away again. Wow!

Last year was great, with Saturn and Jupiter very clear and in a clear sky, close to a full moon, bliss.

A clear night somewhere like Donegal (NW Ireland) or Cornwall (SW England) where the night sky seems to have more light than darkness. My idea of heaven. Especially around September time when shooting stars are all over the place. Most perfect when lying on a deserted beach with the one you love.

To see the aurora borealis is my heart's desire.

[Cheval]

kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3370&highlight=riders+sky

[Cagliostro]

I've seen a total eclipse of the sun, a total eclipse of the moon and a total eclipse of the heart.

[aliantha]

total eclipse of the heart.

Wait...didn't I...?

Um, cool sky stuff, let's see. I've seen a double rainbow. And I saw a comet while lying flat in a road in southern WV.

I'd like to see the aurora borealis too -- but not badly enough to plan a vacation around it, so that's likely to remain an unfulfilled desire. Oh well.

[Orlion]

When I was a kid, I saw a meteor shower in Arizona that was amazing. I particulary remember a meteor that hissed across three-quarters of the sky and that you could see falling apart as it attempted to hit the earth. Amazing stuff...

I've seen about three different comets, heat lightning, two total sun eclipses, more lunar eclipses then I'd care to admit to, these two flashing balls of light hovering in the distance, and cloud formations that would make Michealangelo feel like an amateur artist...

[deer of the dawn]

while lying flat in a road in southern WV.

I ought to have said, these are things we see while NOT under the influence of something or other (except maybe love!).

I saw a meteor actually fall down and hit the earth. That was cool.

The coolest northern lights I saw was on a crisp, cold night (that's when the sky gets so clear you swear you can hear the stars chatting). I lay on my front lawn which was iced snow and the lights morphed into a gigantic angel with a sword, coming to do some business with someone down here... I was shivering from more than the cold...

[aliantha]

while lying flat in a road in southern WV.

I ought to have said, these are things we see while NOT under the influence of something or other (except maybe love!).

I wondered if anybody would pick up on that! The road in question was an entrance to a parking lot at a state park. Very little traffic at that time of night, and quiet enough to hear any that approached in plenty of time.

[matrixman]

I saw a meteor actually fall down and hit the earth. That was cool.

So how do we know you're still you? How do we know that the alien that emerged from the fallen meteorite (i.e. spaceship) didn't take over you? Huh? Huh?

That said, reading all these stories, I really ought to look up at the sky more at night. Outside the city. I'll have my camera with me, too, just in case aliens show up.

Saw an unidentified flying object. Five to seven red lights in a "V" formation.

I saw that once, too, with my dad. I believe there is a rational explanation: it's the result of city lights being reflected off the underbelly of geese as they fly overhead.

[sgt.null]

there is no dark side of the moon really...

matter of fact it's all dark...

[deer of the dawn]

I saw a meteor actually fall down and hit the earth. That was cool.

So how do we know you're still you? How do we know that the alien that emerged from the fallen meteorite (i.e. spaceship) didn't take over you? Huh? Huh?

I guess you don't, Do you?

there is no dark side of the moon really...

matter of fact it's all dark...

The moon is actually quite brilliantly lit when the sun is shining on it, btw. It would blind an unprotected eye, which is why the guys that landed there had that big dark lens over their faces. Only during a lunar eclipse is it all dark. Even then, it looks like a lovely great black pearl hanging in the sky. Exquisite.

[Auleliel]

I like looking at the different constellations, planets, nebulae, etc. Once, my dad showed me how to find the Andromeda Galaxy without a telescope--one barely visible smudge of light containing millions upon millions of stars. Really cool.

[Cheval]

If I am awake by 5:30 am tomorrow morning, I will get to see the Space Shuttle launch from "my side" of Florida. (It will still be dark out and clear skies)
These are the best launches because it looks like a fireball rising in the sky.

[Menolly]

There's an early morning launch scheduled for tomorrow?
*setting alarm, even though none of us have to be up early otherwise*

Shuttle launches viewed from my front yard are so cool. I really wish I had a camera at those times...

[Elfgirl]

I've seen total solar & lunar eclipses, a lot of cool things via my astronomer bro (ie various nebulae, globular clusters & all the planets), Halley's Comet (disappointing but as it only happens once every 76 years, it's gotta be noteworthy to mention - if I'm still alive in 2061, I might see it again), Comet McNaught (MUCH better, & got good photos of it to boot!) lots of meteorites (had a famous session in the wilds of the Kimberley in 1992 when i counted 17 in one hour) terrific contrails while crossing the Nullarbor, rainbows, strange cloud formations, awesome sunsets/sunrises, FA-18s taking off at night, F-111 doing speccy low-level, full afterburner passes at the RAAF open day...these are the most memorable ones. Still waiting for ET to show up!

[Auleliel]

The lightning in last night's thunderstorm was pretty cool.

[balon!]

once the rain was n one side of the library and sunny on the the other. i stood in the middle and looked at two weathers at once!