måndag 24 januari 2011

Science!

Just got back from talking to a physicist physics professor at Buffalo University. He was very nice, and baffled by what it could be. He wasn't a weather expert though, so he recommended trying to contact one of those.

He also had a couple of good ideas. He suggested using a green laser, because human eyes apparently spot green light much easier. So a green laser of the same power as a red one would be several times as visible. I'm thinking of ordering one, or trying to find one locally right now.

He also suggested getting a spotter, a small telescope of sorts that can zoom from anything in between 10-30x, just to get a closer look at this thing, with your eyes. You might be able to connect the camera to it too, but I'd have to look into it.

He suggested it might've been an index reflection. Like if cold air stays on top of warmer air, it'll create an index difference, like how asphalt heats up in the summer and creates these waves when you look at it. Though that got dismissed pretty fast, as I showed him the video I took a few days ago, and the pictures. He then threw that theory out the window, 'cause the light wouldn't have been stationary.

Everything seems to suggest there's an actual object up there, reflecting light with a convex, rough reflective surface. That means it's a mirror like surface, but it can't be a mirror like the one in the bathroom, because that wouldn't create the kind of phenomenon seen in some of the pictures. It'd have to be a reflective surface that is rough enough to "just" reflect the light back, but scatter it so it can be seen from a wide area. Convex means it's dented inwards, like a shaving mirror. Some of the pictures suggested that, but it's none of this is conclusive.

Anyway, it was a nice talk, and he (to my surprise as I guess I have bad experience with physicists) agreed on many things I had to say. I could also understand his science lingo, which was a plus. At one point he was actually pretty excited about this thing, showing it to a coworker and whatnot. Great to see actually, since I've gotten a lot of crap online lately.

Well, food time, then it's off to find a laser and maybe a "spotter", if I can find one compatible with my camera.

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