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I saw it and pulled out my telescope. Up close it looked like a tear shaped light bulb. It radiated a light similiar to a light bulb. It was stationed and did not appear to move. It definatley did not look like a weather balloon. claims were made that it was an Aurora Borealis but that is hard to believe for someone not crazy. I took a phone pic of the image through my telescope if anyone wants to see it. Pretty far out stuff.
Got this image a couple of nights ago. I was trying to beat incoming clouds so I was handheld on full zoom (optical and digital), hence the craptacular quality. It was North of the city (seemed to be over the Placitas area). I couldn't discern any movement for the 20 or so minutes I observed it's activities. Also, it didn't seem to react to loud, sudden noises or the wild gyrations and dancing I was doing with flashlights in my front yard.
By the way, while it's not obvious from the photo, it looked like a star or planet without zoom. It was quite luminous and bigger than the morning star.
Oh good grief!! It was a high altitude research balloon. I should know as I worked on them for 10 years. It was launched from the Tucson area, was at an altitude of 65 thousand feet (will top out at 100 thousand), the diameter of the balloon was 200 feet (will reach a max of 350). At that altitude the speed is maybe 60 - 100 mph. You wouldn't be able to tell at that height. No ufo or other nonsense. Nice pictures though.
Whatever.. weather balloon? I viewed planes going by the bright light and it looked out of the atmosphere because it was so big in size compared to the planes, but you could tell the planes were so far away from it. The so called "Weather balloon" didn' move AT ALL!! It also glowed so bright like a LED light. Very strange and cool, I watched it while I was out to eat with my husband, I wish I had binoculars and a camera. What was it?
Bill Stepp of the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, Texas, said the UFO reported Monday was a 4,000-pound balloon sent to measure the gamma ray emissions at high altitudes by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The balloon was sent out at about 7:30 a.m. Sunday from Fort Sumter, New Mexico and drifted over parts of Arizona Monday before landing at 9 p.m. near Kingman, AZ. The balloon can be seen from a distance of about 170 miles on a clear day due to its usual altitude of 130,000 feet, causing reports of UFOs Monday from Albuquerque to Phoenix.
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Here is some information on High Altitude Scientific Balloons, with pictures and explanations:
Hey last night (Wed 1/6/2010) I was outside awaiting an UPS delivery was around 7:15 and then again around 7:45 pm. I live out toward Organ, NM was looking NE toward the NASA test facility.. over the organ mountains I saw at first what looked like a plane or maybe the police coptor. it started out small and dim and then went out the first time I saw it at 7:15 before dinner... after I ate I went out again around 7:45 pm was nice and dark saw same light over the same location NE over NASA.. it got larger looked almost orange and a whitish bluish light within it.. at this point notice two other orange lights which just appeared one more toward the north and the other directly above the other two objects looked less spherical and more like burning gas ie atmospheric re-entry anyone know of anything burning up over our airspace last night any failed weather balloon experiments this one freaked me out only lasted about 30 seconds I turned around to open my front door porch to get my roommate he thinks I'm tripping on something.. was drinking or anything have seen lots of our military and aeronatical launches and tests this is something I am not familiar with.. In a related note about a month or two don't remember exact time and date other than it was night around 9:30 pm was my last break at work before I got off at 11:00 pm.. looking due east over organ mountains over wsmr saw what I first thought might be venus but then it increased in altitude and then flew over my call center location off of del rey blvd.. reminded me of a stealth but they usually don't hover there like that and when it flew over I saw no lights on the under carriage like I do when I normally see a stealth fly over was fairly small and orangish in color I tried googling lights in the sky in las cruces on jan 7th found a report in the UK from the 6th talking about orange lights they we're saying we're chinese laterns anyone know of anyone with chinese lanterns in southern NM???
Don't usually use this forum any info feel free to email me at [email]inindo420@msn.com[/email] I am very puzzled about these recent events if anything just want to know I'm not the only one seeing these crazy things
P.S. I'm currently unemployed and apparently have way to much free time on my hands LOL
Have you considered taking up WRITING FICTION for a living?? Might not pay much but you're darned good at it!!
Or photography.
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Sighted over ABQ: weather balloon
LOL
