20
My cousin Frank insisted the 'big moving star' over his garage was a UFO until I showed him the Stellarium app and it was just Jupiter.
He was so sure he'd seen something alien that he almost called the local news station, but after we looked it up together on my phone, he just stared at the screen for a full minute and said, 'Well, that's a lot less exciting.'
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
margaretshah23d ago
Honestly that happens all the time. Read an article last week about how Venus is the most common "UFO" people report. It's so bright and moves in a weird way if you don't know what you're looking at. Makes you realize how many simple things get mistaken for aliens. Kind of funny but also a little sad, takes the magic out of it. Good on you for showing him the app instead of letting him embarrass himself on the news.
2
jones.brooke23d ago
Ever tried showing someone the ISS passing over? It looks exactly like a super bright, fast moving star with no flashing lights. I keep a couple apps like SkyView or Night Sky on my phone just for this. You can point it at the sky and it shows you the planets and satellites in real time. It shuts down the "alien spaceship" talk real quick (and saves a lot of arguments).
2