Since its launch at the end of 1995 the Soho satellite has given us an online window onto our sun and anything else that happens to pass in front of it (when its not censored, of course). More recently Nasa has given us the the Stereo A and B satellites for more daily solar fun. Since the 90′s people have been finding anomalies in the images from these satellites. Sometimes we also find neat chunks of the image missing as if there is something being hidden as well. Links to the sites are below:
In response to reports, videos and images of a ‘double sun’ witnessed in different parts of the world since 2009 I started looking at the Soho and Stereo image collections to see if anything was showing up. Nothing resembling the reported phenomena was found, but since then other interesting things have turned up.
Kebabs, spaceships or digital artifacts?
A curious set of objects turns up occasionally mostly on the Stereo A (ahead) satellite COR2 (outer coronagraph) instrument. On June 16 we see this collection of objects that definitely have a space ship quality to them. They could also be kebabs or marshmallows on a stick.
One might ask why don’t they read more like objects in between the sun and our satellite – wouldn’t they show up more like a silhouette? Given their angle they could very well be reflecting light from the sun and they might also be giving off some radiation as well. They appear to be in perspective and at different angles to one another.
On July 13 we see some more objects. Different shapes, also most likely glowing and probably too random to be reflections or digital artifacts. The bright dot to the extreme left of the image is actually Mercury which transited behind the sun beginning around July 4.
And again on August 3rd.
Here the patterns do look more like reflections or artifacts but again, the varying angles and perspectives do beg some questions like: if they are reflections what exactly is being reflected?
A big, bright object approaches the sun.
Looking at the Soho Lasco C3 instrument I noticed a bright disk object entering the field of view on July 20th. It carries with it a long artifact which may be caused by its brightness. The fact that its moving towards the center of the camera view each day suggests that it is not a digital artifact and a check on Nasa’s JPL interactive solar system map doesn’t show any planets in its field of view at this time.
In the next few days the object should pass either in front or behind the sun’s corona and when it does its should also be visible in the Lasco C2 (close up) camera. I’ll post an update when that happens. Until then, we’ll keep watching our ‘eyes in the sky’.
J.B.
