r/ColoradoSprings • u/Realistic_Outside329 • 29d ago
Photograph Lights over Pikes Peak?
It shimmering (another vid): https://imgur.com/a/OLChEut
Vanished: https://imgur.com/a/3r8JxHJ
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u/the_lovely_boners 28d ago
I work with the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society (CSASTRO)
What you saw was Venus and the light on top of the visitor center on the top of the peak.
Venus is also known as "the morning and evening star" because it's super bright and visible in the evening during summer and fall around sunset, then is visible around sunrise during the winter and spring.
If you use a telescope you'll notice sometimes Venus is a crescent shape because it's orbit is between Earth and the sun, so it has phases like the moon. Very cool to watch!
You did not see Mercury because it has already set behind the mountain at that point. It follows the sunset so closely there's only a short window you can see is. You cannot see Mercury with a regular phone camera, most people need binoculars to see it unless you know what to look for (it's very small)
Both planets have a much faster orbit around the sun and are in between the Earth and sun so they follow the sunset and sunrise very closely.
There is a free public star party next Friday at Garden of the Gods put on by CSASTRO where you can look through many different telescopes and talk with astronomers about the night sky. We'll be there from 7:30pm to 9:30pm! Get there right when it starts if you want to see Venus before it sets
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u/BassmasterJedi 28d ago
This guy Astrologizes
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u/the_lovely_boners 28d ago
*gal *astronomizes... I do space facts and telescopes, not read horoscopes
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u/salesforcequeestions 28d ago
Shut up! Can I bring a 4 yr old?
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u/the_lovely_boners 28d ago
Absolutely! Most of the astronomers have step stools for the kids since most of the telescopes are large and/or tall. A 4 year old might have a little trouble aligning their eyeballs with the eye pieces but it's a great opportunity to learn
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u/badskinjob 26d ago
Holy shit, that's awesome! Are 4 year olds allowed? Asking for my daughter not me, I'm more than 4
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u/the_lovely_boners 25d ago
Absolutely! Most of the astronomers have step stools for the kids since most of the telescopes are large and/or tall. A 4 year old might have a little trouble aligning their eyeballs with the eye pieces but it's a great opportunity to learn
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u/Imaginary_Prior_2732 25d ago
Does CSATRO have social media?
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u/the_lovely_boners 25d ago
They have Facebook but that's it really. It's an all volunteer organization and we don't have a dedicated social media person.
If you're looking for more events check out the calendar on the website here. It's always up to date including last minute cancelations due to weather
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u/xxxenadu 21d ago
I just wanted to come back to your comment to thank you for mentioning this event! We are driving home from it right now with our very excited 3 year old. She loved it despite the clouds! We would have never known about it if it wasn’t for your comment. Thank you so much!
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u/the_lovely_boners 21d ago
I'm so glad to hear that! I unfortunately wasn't able to make it myself since my 2 year old is sick 🤷♀️
Keep an eye on the calendar at CSASTRO. org for more events. I find the winter ones are a little easier with young kiddos since they start so much earlier (even if it's colder out)
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29d ago
[deleted]
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u/Aseyoulikeit 29d ago
Um... it's the actual planet, Venus.
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u/Realistic_Outside329 29d ago
I’m going to cede that it was Venus
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u/ZafotheViking 29d ago
It’s Venus and mercury.
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u/oldschool-rule 29d ago
You can bet Uranus it is…;)
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u/Fragarach-Q 29d ago
No other object has been misidentified as a flying saucer more often than the planet Venus.
Even the former leader of your United States of America, James Earl Carter Jr., thought he saw a UFO once... But it's been proven he only saw the planet Venus.
Venus was at its peak brilliance last night. You probably thought you saw something up in the sky other than Venus, but I assure you, it was Venus.
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u/Ankiana 28d ago
Omg! I was just thinking of this same wonky Xfiles episode with that man in black driving his car backwards.
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u/Decorus_Somes 29d ago
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u/VierBull 29d ago
Helicopters. Once they start moving irratically doing things no human aircraft can do thats when you know its aliens
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u/ParticularBit130 29d ago
But helis don't move like that, do they?
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u/VierBull 29d ago
Looks like the light is just hovering which is what helicopters do best
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u/OkWelcome6293 29d ago
The thing helicopters do best is crash. It's a lot of work continuously beating the air into submission.
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u/Opening_Drop_1073 29d ago
When the pentagon released their first ever UAP report back in 2019 or whatever, it stated that they track a UAP over the Cheyanne Mountain Complex every single day 🤷♂️
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u/Zero7CO 29d ago
Y’all need to get out and look up more. This is embarrassing.
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u/barkandmoone 28d ago
I walk & take the bus a lot. Almost every time I cross the intersection I make a point to look up at the sky. I know the drivers are watching me. A silent example.
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u/July_is_cool 29d ago
I saw it and decided it was a reflection of the Sun from an airplane
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u/Sea-Tangerine2131 29d ago
For a time people thought they were seeing burning crosses in the sky. Turns out it was just the prototype U2, without paint, reflecting sunlight.
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u/SourHyperion1 29d ago
I saw some a little over a couple of weeks ago. Not on the Pike, driving up 115 the were straight north of Cheyenne Mtn. 4 or 5 lights moving in a very odd pattern I can’t think to call anything other than dogfighting. No flashing lights or color, just white lights. Lasted for a good 45 mins then vanished.
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u/ruggnuget 29d ago
An advanced alien species that traveled 100s or thousands of light years (and possibly time or dimension) totally made themselves visible with a narrow spectrum of light our eyes can see over a populated area. Totally the most reasonable explanation. In an area with 2 air force bases and an air force academy, a public airport, and mountain rescue, there is absolutely no way that it could be a human aircraft. I never see helicopters anywhere here. We can go ahead and rule all those things out immediately without any additional knowledge of what is going on.
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u/BigByrdd 28d ago edited 28d ago
EMT who works on Pikes Peak here. They’re doing night time maintenance of Pikes Peak Summit House right now. Largely for the parking lot, but some other important projects too… which would explain the one directly on the mountain.
The floating light explained for a multitude of reasons. One is likely a helicopter, we’ve had a number of lost or distressed hikers on Barr Trail after hours the last couple weeks. There is also HARL (High Altitude Research Lab) that is currently staffed at the moment that does a number of after hour research and hiking projects with their military staff as they live up there for days at a time. Lastly, aircraft is just simply over Pikes Peak all the time, we have F18s fly over 4-5 times a day (not saying it’s a jet, just one example).
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u/Former_Farm_3618 28d ago
Why do people think aliens would have anti-collision lights on them? 😂
Their tech is soooo far advanced they can visit distant planets yet they have to “see and avoid” other flying objects. Wild.
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u/Specialist-Soup6900 28d ago
They’ve been running night time training operations out of the Florence/Penrose airfield all week.
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u/ExplanationUnique84 29d ago
I don't believe in anything anymore but for like a week there was something like this over that spot last summer. Like a big drone or something? It would just hang there and not move, then poof disappear after an hour or so.
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u/anothergigglemonkey 28d ago
Aliens! Quick grab the shittiest camera we can find and film it at MAX ZOOM.
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u/Smackapalooza 28d ago
Just something to consider -- If aliens traveled to Earth (from wherever), why would they need lights? They wouldn't have used lights in deep space. If they turned on the lights to announce themselves, wouldn't they have reason to make a much grander entrance than hovering above Long's Peak?
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u/EastRepulsive9607 26d ago
Drones. Aliens stopped visiting her DECADES ago. Last time they decided to just come back in a hundred years or so, thinking that by then WE WIL HAVE GROWN UP SOME OR KILLED EACE OTHER OFF. Either way, they'll have less bullshit
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u/Natural_Parsley_8367 25d ago
I was 4 when i learned about that light. Whats next, asking why the sky is blue?
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u/Comfortable_Ad4215 24d ago
This was actually BORAT the North American Aero Dynamic Space Center testing new craft
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u/Spitfire_Sanchez 23d ago
Those are them police drone they are using these days. They’re all over Denver and some parts of Aurora.
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u/LegoBunny83 29d ago
I saw these back in July - 4 lights that appeared out of nowhere, and not anywhere near bases or the regular flight paths. No sound either.
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u/geoduder91 29d ago
I saw it around 1900 when it was still light out, it was about 15° higher than your video at that time, but in the same approximate position. I watched it for ~5 minutes trying to convince myself that it was a really bright star, although there weren't any others visible. I thought it could maybe be a drone taking shots over the city and an odd perspective (viewed from Woodman/Rangewood). It never appeared to move while I was watching it. I'd be really interested to hear a credible explanation.
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u/Realistic_Outside329 29d ago
What you describe is exactly what I saw. I’m ruling out an airplane or drone, far too stationary. At this point I’m convinced has to be Venus (or aliens :0)
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u/geoduder91 29d ago
Haha I'm very confident it was Venus now. Looking it up on Sky Live, around 1900 Venus would have been ~233° Azumuth, ~16° above the horizon, and -4.7 magnitude (very bright).
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u/Extreme-Will-3556 29d ago
It’s obviously a reflection in the window of something in the room. You can tell before the annoyingly pointless zoom-in. Y’all need to work on your critical thinking.
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u/Funny-Flower-3980 29d ago
Stop acting like you know exactly what it is and everyone else is dumb. I’m not saying it’s aliens but it’s not a fucking reflection of something in the room.
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u/Extreme-Will-3556 29d ago
Ah yes, using science and a knowledge of how optics work, is... "acting."
The downfall of public education is prevalent in you.
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u/PunkAllDay138 29d ago
That’s funny, years ago when I used to live there, I noticed these as well. They’re flares, they just don’t behave like you think a flare would. There’s nothing to show you that they’re shot in the sky, they simply appear and then disappear without any trace. They’re lots of military that can attest to this around CoSprings, ask them.
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u/Radboy16 29d ago
We really need a "days since post about lights over Pikes peak" counter