Bright Flash on the Horizon

Thread View: sci.misc

4 messages

[T] Back to Threads [V] Tree View [G] Group Articles

4 total messages Started by Fred Flintstone Mon, 18 Jan 1988 18:03

#695

Author: Fred Flintstone
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1988 18:03

18 lines
1035 bytes

Last night (this morning actually 01/18/88 at 02:00 Pacific time)
I was driving home from a friend's house and I saw a bright flash
on the horizon (west) that was in the blue end of the spectrum.
Similar to lightning in quickness and colour, but it was more akin
to a strobe (a really big strobe!) being fired off on the other side
of the coast range.  At the time I was southbound on I-5, just outside
of Lodi, Ca.

Anyone know what it was that I saw?
(Travis AFB is to the west... any tests, accidents?)

thanks
---
...eunetv!unido!\  ..sun!ptsfa!\ 
       ...mcvax!uunet!lll-winken!cogent!\ 
                       ...rutgers!retix!uop!robert
		 ...ames!ucbvax!ucdavis!/

Re: Bright Flash on the Horizon

#690

Author: Tom Gloger
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1988 14:03

20 lines
1198 bytes

In article <920@uop.edu>, robert@uop.edu (Fred Flintstone) writes:
> Last night ... I was driving home ... and I saw a bright flash on the
> horizon ... in the blue end of the spectrum.
>
> Anyone know what it was that I saw?
>

A few years ago, during a thunderstorm, I observed a blue-green flash on the
horizon.  It lasted a noticeable length of time, but less than a second.  At
the same time, the red lights on the tops of the near-by high-tension towers
went out.  The flash was in the direction of a large "transformer farm" which,
I believe, is connected to the high-tension lines.

My theory is a large transformer bit the big one that night.  The lights stayed
off for a day or two, as I recall.

-- 
   Tom Gloger        AT&T
   ihnp4!ttrda!tag   Skokie, Illinois, 60077

Re: Bright Flash on the Horizon

#698

Author: David Ambrose
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1988 00:17

24 lines
1542 bytes

In article <920@uop.edu> robert@uop.edu (Fred Flintstone) writes:
>
>Last night (this morning actually 01/18/88 at 02:00 Pacific time)
>I was driving home from a friend's house and I saw a bright flash
>on the horizon (west) that was in the blue end of the spectrum.
>Similar to lightning in quickness and colour, but it was more akin
>to a strobe (a really big strobe!) being fired off on the other side
>of the coast range.  At the time I was southbound on I-5, just outside
>of Lodi, Ca.
>
	You probably saw a missle test flight from Vandenberg AFB which
is south of you on the coast.  They have been lighting off Minutemen and
other stuff for quite a few years now.  It must have been just below the
hills.  I saw one for the first time when I was 14.  Thought it might be
the end of the world. . . ;-(
	Once you know what they are though,  they're really quite
pretty.


-- 
 Reality?  No thanks,  too much of that stuff's no good for you.
David L. Ambrose, --  Digital Research, Inc         ...!amdahl!drivax!dambrose
DISCLAIMER: Don't blame DRI.  They wouldn't approve of this anyway. r}ix
NO CARRIER

Re: Bright Flash on the Horizon

#699

Author: Alex B. Granok
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1988 22:07

21 lines
1231 bytes

In article <254@ttrda.UUCP> tag@ttrda.UUCP (Tom Gloger) writes:
>In article <920@uop.edu>, robert@uop.edu (Fred Flintstone) writes:
>> Last night ... I was driving home ... and I saw a bright flash on the
>> horizon ... in the blue end of the spectrum.
>>
>> Anyone know what it was that I saw?
>>

There is a phenomenon known as the Green flash that appears on the horizon
over the ocean at sunset (maybe at sunrise, too).  It happens as the sun's
rays are refracted just the right amount and during that instant, the flash
appears.  

I don't know where you saw this, so that may not be the cause.  It could be
any number of things, then.  The list is probably as long as you want to make
it.

-- 

Alexander B. Granok 
hao!udenva!agranok

Thread Navigation

This is a paginated view of messages in the thread with full content displayed inline.

Messages are displayed in chronological order, with the original post highlighted in green.

Use pagination controls to navigate through all messages in large threads.

Back to All Threads