Learn how the major sky phenomena actually behave.
Each page separates observation clues from external evidence, explains common misidentifications and shows what would make an identification stronger.
Meteors & Fireballs
How to recognize a meteor, when a bright event becomes a fireball, what fragmentation means, and what public sensor data can actually confirm.
Satellites & the ISS
Why satellites move smoothly, why they fade suddenly, what makes the ISS unusually bright, and why an orbital catalog is not the same as an exact pass prediction.
Starlink Trains
How newly deployed satellites create the famous line-of-lights effect, what weakens a Starlink explanation, and why launch timing matters.
Aircraft Lights at Night
How navigation lights, strobes, landing lights and perspective make aircraft appear stationary, multicolored or stranger than expected.
Rocket Plumes & Space-Debris Reentry
Twilight plumes, spirals, fuel dumps and slow fragment trains can look extraordinary. Learn which timing and geometry clues matter.
Aurora
How auroral arcs, curtains and rays behave, how local probability differs from global Kp, and why cloud cover still matters.
Bright Planets & Stars
Why Venus, Jupiter and bright stars trigger unusual-light reports, how scintillation changes color, and what stationary really tells you.
Atmospheric & Optical Effects
Cloud glow, halos, reflections, light pillars and perspective effects can create convincing objects that are really light interacting with atmosphere or glass.