Watched a UFO using binoculars for almost an hour

nivek

As Above So Below
Saturday evening about 2130 I was watching a ufo with my binoculars for about an hour in the night sky...I couldn't determine its distance away from me, it was hovering to the northwest about 45 degrees up...It could have been a drone but looking through my binoculars I saw it had a half roundish shape, like a hard boiled egg cut in half, that shape...Its shell was dark but it had many small white lights shining on the round side, the lights were very bright...It rotated a few times and no lights were on the flat side, and after watching it a while, it rotated facing the dark flat side to me and was gone, I didn't see it again...I tried to take a photo of it but failed, my cameras couldn't capture it well enough to see it, I can draw an image of how it looked...

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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Alrighty then! Very cool. I'd record exactly where I was, angle of elevation, bearing, approximate size at arm's length.

Not saying it was commercial traffic but I'd probably figure out what airport I'm closest to and have a look here: Track arriving or departing flights, get flight maps, 3D seat maps, image gallery and more!

Also found this regarding UAS. ArcGIS Web Application

Haven't fiddled with it but looks like it's showing FAA registered facilities that can operate UAS. Somewhere I read there was a 300' altitude limit for the, Only looked at this briefly.
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nivek

As Above So Below
Judging by that map since I haven't had much time to research it more, I'd say the line of direction I saw this UFO or drone the closest facility would be in Tennessee, very far from my home...I seriously doubt it was any type of commercial aircraft or ordinary military aircraft, the description of what I saw does not match up to any aircraft, however I do lean towards it being a drone...

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nivek

As Above So Below
The object has returned in a similar location in the sky from my point of reference with the naked eye...I watched it again with my binoculars and took some images with my camera on my phone...It is closer and brighter than the stars around it and bright enough for my cell phone to pick it up in the images, although my phone cannot capture the stars in the images...Zoom in to each image, it appears this object is changing shape somewhat, which could show its rotating, that's what I see when I look through the binoculars and its still the same configuration as previously sighted...The images were taken seconds from each other...

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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Yup. Smartphones are damned frustrating for this sort of thing.

Looks like it has protuberances, kind of droney. An hour seems like a lot of loiter time but I've only seen the really low end crappy ones.
 

nivek

As Above So Below
It was there for a while last night although I didn't watch it for an hour this second time viewing it...Definitely not a star or Venus and not a commercial plane, could still be a drone or helicopter...I also doubt it is a satellite, it appears too low in the sky for that...

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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
It was there for a while last night although I didn't watch it for an hour this second time viewing it...Definitely not a star or Venus and not a commercial plane, could still be a drone or helicopter...I also doubt it is a satellite, it appears too low in the sky for that...

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Go get this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.t11.skyviewfree&hl=en_US
If nothing else it's fun to play with. I have seen the ISS passing across my kitchen floor .... :)

You're right, it has to be something much closer for your phone to pick up the level of detail it did.
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Yep I used that app and another one called stellarium and both of them did not show anything there nor as bright as I'm seeing...

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nivek

As Above So Below
You're right, it has to be something much closer for your phone to pick up the level of detail it did.

Well I have an older cell phone too, a Samsung Galaxy Prime SM-G530T its about 5 years old I think and still works great I bought it in Buffalo New York, at the Walden Galleria mall, I'm not one to have a new phone every year or so as long as it can still do everything I need it to do lol...The camera isn't the latest and greatest and doesn't pick up any stars in the sky at night...I don't have a good recording device for long distance filming or photo capture except an old 35mm camera with a 200x zoom lens, I need to get some film for it lol...I'm thinking about a telescope again, I have wanted to buy a good one off and on for many years now and haven't done so yet, one I can connect to my laptop or recording devices...

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nivek

As Above So Below
I think if it returns its likely someone's drone, still though I'd like to know what kind of drone it is or its size, it shines a bright light, well lights, at least a couple dozen I saw on it, unless the binoculars distorted my view...

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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Class I encompasses an array of designs ranging from tiny handheld drones to larger,
multirole systems. A typical Class I aircraft has an endurance of between one and
three hours, a maximum range of approximately 80 kilometers, a payload capacity of
5 kilograms, and a top speed of 100 kilometers-per-hour. Class I aircraft are launched
by hand or pneumatic rail and typically come equipped with an electro-optical and
infrared sensor package. Class I includes both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, as well
as a small number of hybrid UAVs that combine vertical take-off and landing and
horizontal flight. The majority of Class I aircraft are used to carry out reconnaissance
and surveillance missions and do not carry weapons. Loitering munitions—drones
armed with a small explosive warhead and designed to explode on impact—are
included in the Databook as Class I systems. The NATO definition of Class I includes
three sub-categories—Micro, Mini, and Small—which, for the sake of simplicity, are
treated equally as Class I systems in the Databook.
 

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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
I think if it returns its likely someone's drone, still though I'd like to know what kind of drone it is or its size, it shines a bright light, well lights, at least a couple dozen I saw on it, unless the binoculars distorted my view...

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Wasn't suggesting you shoot it down :)
I just thought the podcast was interesting.

Although, just because something's a bad idea doesn't mean it might not be fun ................
 
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