What Did I See in the Night Sky?
You looked up. Something caught your attention.
Now let's see if we can identify it.
Thank you for taking the time to look at the sky — and for being curious about what you saw.
We are frequently asked about unusual or unexpected objects seen in the evening or nighttime sky. Sometimes the answer is easy: a bright planet, the International Space Station, an aircraft, or a meteor. Other observations may require a little more investigation.
The New Jersey Astronomical Association encourages that curiosity. Observation, questioning, and investigation are fundamental parts of astronomy and science.
Before submitting a question to one of our astronomers, the information and resources below may help you identify what you observed.
Start With What You Remember
Even a few details can dramatically improve the chances of identifying an object.
Try to remember:
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Date — What day did you see it?
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Time — Approximately what time was it?
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Location — Where were you observing?
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Direction — North, south, east or west?
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Height above the horizon — Was it near the horizon or high overhead?
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Brightness — Was it brighter than the surrounding stars?
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Color — White, red, orange, blue, green?
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Movement — Stationary, slow, fast, erratic?
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Duration — A fraction of a second, several seconds, minutes?
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Flashing — Did it blink or change brightness?
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Trail — Did it leave a streak or glowing trail?
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Fragmentation — Did it appear to break into several pieces?
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Sound — Was any sound heard?
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Photograph or video — Did you or someone nearby record it?
The exact time, location and direction you were looking are often the most valuable pieces of information.
What Might You Have Seen?
A Very Bright, Stationary "Star"
It may have been a planet.
Venus and Jupiter can be remarkably bright and are frequently mistaken for something unusual. Mars and Saturn are also easily visible to the unaided eye under the right conditions.
Planets generally move so slowly against the background stars that they appear stationary during a short observation.
Try: NASA's Skywatching information or an online planetarium such as Stellarium (links below).
A Steady Light Moving Across the Sky
It may have been an artificial satellite.
Satellites generally move smoothly and steadily across the sky. Unlike an airplane, many visible satellites show no blinking navigation lights.
The International Space Station (ISS) can become exceptionally bright and may take several minutes to cross the sky.
There are also thousands of other satellites and pieces of spacecraft in Earth orbit.
Try: Heavens-Above, which calculates visible satellite passes for your location (link below).
Or NASA's Spot the Station website.
A Line or "Train" of Lights
You may have seen a recently launched group of Starlink satellites.
Shortly after launch, multiple satellites can appear relatively close together, creating a striking procession of lights moving across the sky. As their orbits change, they gradually spread farther apart.
Satellite tracking resources can often confirm whether a Starlink group was visible from your location at the time of your observation.
A Light That Brightens, Fades or Seems to Flash
You may have observed a rotating satellite, rocket body or piece of space hardware.
An object in orbit can rotate or tumble. As reflective surfaces change their orientation relative to the Sun and observer, the object may periodically become brighter and dimmer.
This can sometimes produce surprisingly dramatic flashes in an otherwise ordinary satellite pass.
A Fast Streak Lasting Only a Second or Two
You probably saw a meteor — commonly called a "shooting star."
Meteoroids are small pieces of natural material traveling through space. When one enters Earth's atmosphere at high velocity, atmospheric interaction produces the bright streak we call a meteor.
Most meteors disappear completely high in the atmosphere.
An Exceptionally Bright Meteor
You may have witnessed a fireball.
A fireball is an unusually bright meteor. Some can illuminate the surrounding landscape, display vivid colors, leave a persistent trail or break into visible fragments.
If you witnessed a particularly bright meteor, check the American Meteor Society Fireball Reports. Other people in the region may have reported the same event.
You can also submit your own observation. Reports from multiple observers can help determine the trajectory of an event.
Meteor or Meteorite?
These terms describe different things.
Meteoroid — A natural object traveling through space.
Meteor — The visible phenomenon produced when a meteoroid enters Earth's atmosphere.
Meteorite — Material from the object that survives atmospheric passage and reaches the Earth's surface.
So, if you saw a streak of light traveling through the sky, you saw a meteor, not a meteorite.
Several Bright Objects Breaking Apart
You may have witnessed space debris or a spacecraft reentry.
Rocket stages, satellites and other spacecraft eventually return to Earth's atmosphere. Larger objects can break into numerous glowing fragments traveling together across a substantial portion of the sky.
Unlike a typical meteor, which is often over very quickly, a reentering spacecraft can produce a slower and longer-lasting display.
A Large Glowing Cloud, Spiral or Unusual Shape
It could be associated with a rocket launch.
Upper-stage rockets sometimes release exhaust or fuel at very high altitudes. When illuminated by sunlight after the ground below has entered darkness, these clouds can produce spectacular shapes, spirals and expanding luminous structures.
These events can appear extremely unusual if you do not know that a launch has recently occurred.
Red, Green or White Lights That Blink
Consider an aircraft.
Aircraft can look surprisingly unusual at night, particularly when they are approaching the observer almost directly. Their apparent motion can initially be very small, making them look like stationary bright objects.
Navigation, landing and anti-collision lights may help distinguish an aircraft from an astronomical object or satellite.
Several Lights Moving, Hovering or Changing Direction
Consider aircraft or drones.
Movement is an important clue. Objects in orbit follow predictable paths across the sky and do not normally stop, hover and suddenly change direction.
Nearby objects can also be difficult to judge because a dark sky provides few visual clues to their actual distance, size or speed.
Online Tools to Help With Your Investigation
Planets, Stars and Constellations
Stellarium Web — Online Planetarium
Enter your location, date and time and compare the displayed sky with what you observed.
General Skywatching
NASA — Skywatching
An excellent resource for understanding visible planets, stars and other astronomical events.
Satellites, ISS and Rocket Bodies
Provides location-based predictions for visible satellites, the International Space Station and numerous other orbiting objects.
Satellite Visualization
In-The-Sky.org — Satellite Map
Provides interactive maps and visualizations of satellites and their positions.
Meteors and Fireballs
Check recent fireball reports to determine whether other observers reported the same event. Particularly bright meteors can also be reported directly to the American Meteor Society.
Still Can't Identify It?
That's perfectly fine — sometimes investigating the observation is the most interesting part.
If these resources haven't provided an answer, we invite you to Ask an Astronomer.
When submitting your observation, please provide as much information as possible, especially:
date + exact time + observing location + direction + duration + description of movement
Photographs can also be extremely helpful.
Our astronomers will review the information you provide and, when possible, help determine what you observed.
Thank You for Looking Up
Every question begins with an observation.
Whether what you saw turns out to be Venus, a meteor, a satellite, a tumbling rocket body or something requiring further investigation, we appreciate your curiosity and your interest in understanding the night sky.
Keep looking up. There is always something worth discovering.