How to Record a Sky Sighting So It Can Be Identified Later
A practical observation protocol: time, direction, duration, movement, reference points, sound and original media.
Write the time before the story
Record the local time as soon as possible, including whether your phone clock was set automatically. Memory for duration and sequence changes rapidly after discussion with other witnesses. The raw time is what lets aircraft, weather, fireball and launch data be compared independently.
Describe motion without naming the object
Write moved southwest to northeast for about 70 seconds rather than satellite. Describe whether motion was smooth, curved, stationary, drifting or changing direction. Note any sudden fade, flare or fragmentation.
Use the horizon as a coordinate system
Compass direction plus rough elevation is enough to make a report far more useful. West, halfway between horizon and overhead is better than in front of me. If safe, use a phone compass after the event from the same position.
Preserve original photos and video
Do not crop, re-export or strip metadata before saving the original. A wide frame with stars, buildings or horizon often contains more geometric evidence than a tightly zoomed blurry light. Keep a copy before social-media apps recompress it.
Separate what you saw from what you inferred
Record color, shape, motion and sound as observations. Put interpretations such as it looked like a rocket in a separate note. This prevents later verification from being anchored to the first guess.
Save this before you go outside.
These are the details most likely to improve a later identification.
- ✓Exact local date/time
- ✓Place or GPS-capable location
- ✓Start/end direction
- ✓Approximate elevation
- ✓Duration
- ✓Blinking pattern
- ✓Number of lights
- ✓Trail/fragmentation
- ✓Sound and delay
- ✓Original media file
Turn the observation into an evidence report.
The identifier compares what you recorded with independent public data.