VIDEO: ‘Strange light’ spotted in NE Ohio’s sky
ORWELL, Ohio (WJW) – A “strange light” was spotted in the sky over Northeast Ohio on Thursday.
Timothy Richman in Ashtabula County shared a video of the light captured on his phone from his backyard in Orwell at about 11:30 p.m.
He said the “strange light” lasted for “some time” and was in the western sky. He asked, “Did anyone else see this?”
The video shows the light appearing to flicker. Take a look in the video player above.
So, what was it?
According to local astronomer Jay Reynolds, it was likely the star named “Arcturus.”
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Reynolds explains that this time of year, after 11 p.m. and on a clear night, the bright star can be seen very low in the western sky. It’s one of the brightest stars in the northern hemisphere, he said.
As for its flickering appearance — well, we can thank these hot and humid days for that!
“During the early weeks of September, Arcturus is very low in the western sky, coupled with our very warm, humid conditions as of late, Arcturus seems to flicker a great deal and can even give the impression of movement,” explained Reynolds. “That’s because our weather conditions can actually bend the light and at times, even separate it into individual colors of mostly red & orange.”
He admits the star’s appearance can be very intriguing to those unfamiliar with it.
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If you’d like to catch a glimpse of Arcturus, Reynolds said the dazzling star will appear earlier and earlier, every night until October.
Then in the final weeks of October, look to the eastern sky for another bright star named ‘Aldebaran.’ Reynolds said, Aldebaran’s position over Lake Erie when the water temperature is still warm, but the air temperatures can be very cold, gives it a noticeable and distinctive appearance of moving “side-to-side” and generating more reports of “strange lights” in the sky.
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