2018-02-02 - Dayton, OH - Changing

Flashing Object, near Sirius; Ohio

Outdoors on my porch trying to get decent nighttime photos of the snowy yard. Orion always has been easy to spot and when I looked up just to see if perhaps my camera (basic dslr) could get a pic of Orion, the consellation was located nearly due south of my location about 60 degrees above the horizon (may give a more accurate time than the one I listed since am not sure of the time I saw this). The night was very clear and decided to try to photograph Orion.

But before I did I noticed something different about Sirius (I believe Sirius Major, the bright star just to the side of Orion). The bright star that "flashes" seemed to be doubled, with a second Sirius-type object just above it. But the lights "flashed" on the upper object more quickly and in greater number (red, green, blue, white) than those of the star.

I aimed my camera at Sirius and this "twin" and began taking photos.

As I did, the "twin" began to move away from Sirius, initially going higher so a definite gap between the two existed; it then moved quickly out of my camera's previous focal area, darting west (to my right), pausing, then moving downward toward the horizon slightly (about 4 degrees), then more slowly moved east of Sirius while still lower in the sky, moved back to "double" the star again by aligning beneath it, only to move again.

When it finally disappeared, it was from the original position in which I'd seen it. It didn't grow dim, it just vanished and Sirius was alone. This actually happened twice, it showed again for about a minute, remaining stationary, before again vanishing. I watched for another ten minutes but never saw it happen again.

This object looked, to my eyes, very much like a slightly larger "twin" of Sirius, having a steady white light superimposed by lights which "flashed" at about the same pace at which those of Sirius seem to change. The lights of the object were brighter than those of Sirius, and were red, green, blue, and white. The white of the object itself may have been what I saw when the "flashing light" turned white, I'm not sure, but the other lights all coexisted with the overall white color.

I had a clear view from about 15 degrees above the horizon to the southwest, south, and much of the southeast. This object was at all times within about 4 degrees south or 2 degrees north of Sirius. It moved quite a distance west and east of Sirius, however, mostly with movements so quick I could not see it move, though several times it was slow enough to follow it as it darted left or right; once or twice it moves more slowly in this lateral direction. Its up and downward motions were quite gradual.

I watched for about ten minutes, taking photos, also, which appeared very different from what I saw through the naked eye.