Any astronomy experts?

[EVOL!]

Been trying to identify a star in the SouthEastern sky of Chicago around 9:30pm. This star can be seen through the city's massive light pollution so it's brightness is on par with Venus and Jupiter. The star itself twinkles with blues, whites, and reds like a police helicopter. I think it is Rigel in the constellation Orion.

 

Any ideas?

[ShredAstaire]

[NeoConMan]

I've had the charts, wheels, etc. for decades.

I can never remember what the hell is where....

 

And here in AZ we have some good dry skies for stargazing.

[Riverside]

Do you have a smart phone or an iPad?

 

Load up Google Sky Maps and point it at it.

[Golem]

`

 

 

Been trying to identify a star in the SouthEastern sky of Chicago around 9:30pm. This star can be seen through the city's massive light pollution so it's brightness is on par with Venus and Jupiter. The star itself twinkles with blues, whites, and reds like a police helicopter. I think it is Rigel in the constellation Orion.

 

Any ideas?

`

Not much info there, but so far you're making

sense. Orion rising is the sign of winter arriving.

Since it's still early [not officially winter] Orion

would not be very high and would rise late, like

9:30 which is some hours past sunset.

 

I think the colors are just the low angle thru

thin, icy clouds, IOW "rainbows". Later on it

should be a steady blue-white star.

 

 

 

 

`

[Silenced Fred]

Been trying to identify a star in the SouthEastern sky of Chicago around 9:30pm. This star can be seen through the city's massive light pollution so it's brightness is on par with Venus and Jupiter. The star itself twinkles with blues, whites, and reds like a police helicopter. I think it is Rigel in the constellation Orion.

 

Any ideas?

 

I'll have to look for it. I have no idea

[Dub-T-123]

And here in AZ we have some good dry skies for stargazing.

 

I agree. I live in southern California so I've driven out to Arizona more than a few times. The sky is amazing over there daytime and nightime.

 

I don't like the heat though.

[EVOL!]

Do you have a smart phone or an iPad?

 

Load up Google Sky Maps and point it at it.

 

I do have Google Sky Maps on my HTC Hero, but it can act a little funky. Plus, because of the light pollution I cannot see if it is the bottom corner of Orion since the other stars aren't visible. Reading up on Rigel she's a binary star and can sit behind a nebula which might be causing the police light colors.

 

I'll keep an eye on her over the next couple of weeks since I'll be away from the city lights rural Michigan the first week in Jan. where you can see all of the stars.

[zigzag]

Rigel is the brightest star in Orion, easily identifiable by his three "star" belt. Rigel is the sixth brightest star in the night sky and is located on Orion's left leg. Betelgeuse is the second brightest star in Orion found in his right arm.

[Riverside]

I do have Google Sky Maps on my HTC Hero, but it can act a little funky. Plus, because of the light pollution I cannot see if it is the bottom corner of Orion since the other stars aren't visible. Reading up on Rigel she's a binary star and can sit behind a nebula which might be causing the police light colors.

 

I'll keep an eye on her over the next couple of weeks since I'll be away from the city lights rural Michigan the first week in Jan. where you can see all of the stars.

 

Make sure you have your compass calibrated. My Google Sky Maps was all weird until I calibrated the compass.

 

It doesn't matter what you can actually see - I've used GSM to "view" the Southern Cross - right through the floor.

[Golem]

`

 

Reading up on Rigel she's a binary star and can

sit behind a nebula which might be causing the

police light colors.

 

`

The time frame for the effect you describe

might have a "police lights" effect if it were

seen by an observer whose lifespan is in

millions of "earth years", and whose sense

of time is proportionally slowed down [as

compared to ours]. The nebula causing the

effect you see is something in the earthly

atmosphere. My guess is ice crystals, but

most any suspended particles can do that.

 

As observed by us in our time frame, binary

star systems are not whirling around like

police lights and nebulae are not racing by

like clouds across the moon on a windy nite.

 

It takes many earth years for Rigel to pulse

just once. If your time frame were such that,

to you, earthly centuries pass by as if mere

seconds, then you'd see Rigel flashing like

a cop car.

 

 

 

`

[EVOL!]

Thanks Golem. Was not sure how fast the two stars would be orbiting each other or how much the nebula would be affecting the star's light. I am 99% certain it is not ice crystals since it looks the same every night. This star or whatever it is is doing something funny and I am interested to find out what the hell it is. Maybe getting ready to supernova? How cool would that be?

[TommyK]

Thanks Golem. Was not sure how fast the two stars would be orbiting each other or how much the nebula would be affecting the star's light. I am 99% certain it is not ice crystals since it looks the same every night. This star or whatever it is is doing something funny and I am interested to find out what the hell it is. Maybe getting ready to supernova? How cool would that be?

 

 

If you were viewing the star from a low angle (low on the horizon) SE of Chicargo, the rainbow effect makes sense. There is or was a lot of lake effect snow you may be viewing it through. Lake effect is when wind blows across a lake, in this case Lake Michigan, picking up moisture. Then on the lee side of the lake over land, snow falls in feet, not inches. I suspect you were viewing the star through a lot of ice crystals over southern Michigan / northern Indiana which have been getting hammered with lake effect snow this week.

 

 

Golem,

It's great to have a celestial expert on the board.

 

I've always been fascinated with stars and planets. I just never have take the time to study and understand it in the detail you have.

 

Live Long and Prosper!

 

p.s. Do you know where you will be on August 21, 2017? I do. I will have grandkids, some not yet born, in tow.

[Golem]

`

Maybe getting ready to supernova? How cool would that be?

`

Long shot there ..... but it would be cool for chrismiss.

 

I still bleeb that the colors would be from something that

persists in your local/regional atmosphere, since when

an object is not higher in the sky you hafta view it thru

lots more atmosphere .... same phenom that makes the

sun red when it's low. I really expect the object to shine

differently when it's at least half way to the "top" of the

sky dome .... either a steady blue-white or at least with

a definitely reduced cop car effect .... again depending

on what, besides air, is in your air. You'll be looking

thru less air when the object is higher.

 

 

`

[Golem]

`

 

Live Long and Prosper!

 

p.s. Do you know where you will be on August 21, 2017?

I do. I will have grandkids, some not yet born, in tow.

`

If it please Allah, I will be still alive and by then it

should finally be my turn to play Carnegie Hall. I'll

send you all VIP passes :-)

 

 

 

`

[TommyK]

Nope, more celestial than Carnegie.

 

Yes, Lord willing, I should live so long. But it is almost assuredly a last-in-my-life-time event.

[Baba Looey]

The star you're seeing might also be Sirius, aka the Dog star. It is the brightest star in the sky as seen from the Earth (sun excluded), and being relatively far down in the sky as seen from Chicago it usually twinkles a lot giving you the flashing colors phenomenon. The twinkling is caused by atmospheric turbulance slightly bending the light rays before they reach your eyes, which can occur on even the clearest of nights.

 

If you can make out the Orion constellation, specifically the 3 belt stars, just use the 3 belt stars as a pointer to Sirius. Follow the line of the belt stars down and toward the left and you'll bump right into Sirius.

[Golem]

`

 

BTW the orbital period of the Rigel system has

been estimated as 250 centuries of earth time.

Not much of a cop car effect for earthly eyes.

 

http://www.theskyscrapers.org/content5687.html

 

PS re the link:

An "AU" is the mean distance from here to the

sun. It's used for "neighborhood" distances as

an astronomical measure, cuz light years are

much bigger. One AU is only 8 light minutes.

 

 

------------------------------------

 

 

The planetoid Pluto is 6 light hours from here,

or from the sun [it varies]. "Our" comets, that

may travel a human lifetime [+/-] for each orbit,

are less than a light week away when they are

"outside" the solar system. You can see that

light years can be just too huge in "congested"

neighborhoods of the universe.

 

 

 

`

[TommyK]

...

The planetoid Pluto ...

 

I'm still bitter about that one.

[vourot]

I am a somewhat avid backyard stargazer. The sense of perspective you get from a clear night sky unspoiled by light pollution is a humbling experience. When you are able to see the Andromeda galaxy without binoculars, thats a good dark sky. This is one of the coolest items you can buy,

http://www.tricomachine.com/skywindow/ but something else ( guitar related ) always seems to come up. Anyway, its fun to get to know the night sky !

 

Oh yeah, the star is definitly Sirius.

[EVOL!]

Thanks everyone. It is Sirius. Found this

 

This twinkling is technically known as 'scintillation'. All the stars do it, but it's more noticeable with Sirius because of its great brightness. The star itself is shining with a steady light; the twinkling and flashing is an effect of the Earth's atmosphere.

 

You were right. Please don't rub it in.

[TommyK]

You know... we all missed the obvious... being Christmas season and all. It could be .... Santa!

[Golem]

`

 

Anyway, its fun to get to know the night sky !

 

Oh yeah, the star is definitly Sirius.

`

 

Wellll now, that esplanes everthing ! ! !

 

Aftrall ..... with an orbital period of ONLY 50 yrs,

no wonder it looks like flashing cop car lights !

Thaz like 500X faster than the Rigel system .....

 

 

 

 

`

[EVOL!]

You know... we all missed the obvious... being Christmas season and all. It could be .... Santa!

 

or SATAN

 

It's only one letter difference.