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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.'
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margaretshah6mo 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.
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jones.brooke6mo 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).
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hall.nora5mo ago
Three years ago I got a call from my neighbor at 2 AM screaming about a UFO over his house. I stumbled outside half asleep and there it was a bright light moving steady across the sky. Turned out it was the ISS at exactly the wrong time for my sleep schedule. I downloaded SkyView the next morning after I stopped wanting to throw my phone at him. Now I'm the guy who ruins people's UFO stories with "nope that's just a satellite" and it makes me feel like a total nerd but at least I'm a correct nerd.
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