<p>I just did the following:</p>

<ul>
<li>opened <a href="https://in-the-sky.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">in-the-sky.org</a>, </li>
<li><a href="https://in-the-sky.org/location.php?" rel="nofollow noreferrer">manually chose the location</a> New Bedford, MA (close to Cape Cod) because I'm somewhere else (you wouldn't have to do that) </li>
<li>selected <a href="https://in-the-sky.org/skymap.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">planetarium</a> </li>
</ul>

<p>and looked in the southeast and found that the brightest star in the sky <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Sirius</a> is currently only 20 degrees above the horizon.  At that low altitude, and being a star (not a planet) it would definitely be bright and twinkle, and not appear to move like a plane.</p>

<p>It is rising, and moving diagonally to the right and up. Check back in an hour or so to confirm that if you are interested, or check in the next several days to confirm it's in the <em>almost</em> the same place each night.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ov825.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ov825.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/yOxNF.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/yOxNF.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-20T14:06:49.150Z
Good stuff uhoh.
John Duffield
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-20T14:07:39.883Z
@JohnDuffield in-the-sky.org is great stuff! I'm just master of screenshot/crop/paste ;-)
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-18T02:50:11.660Z
2018-12-18T02:50:11.660Z
uhoh
<p>I live in New England, Cape Cod to be exact. </p>

<p>I saw a very bright, twinkling object. I watched it for several minutes and it never moved. It was in the east just above the tree line, what might it be? </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-18T02:54:49.253Z
Nicely written question; all the important information is here!
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-18T07:20:52.627Z
Possible duplicate of [Star like light moving in the sky, what could it be?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/11634/star-like-light-moving-in-the-sky-what-could-it-be)
peterh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-18T08:54:26.533Z
Doesn't decribe "movement" hence not a dupe. What is missing is the exact time. From the time stamp I'd guess 02:00- 03:00 UTC or 21:00-22:00 in cape cod.
James K
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-18T11:41:18.113Z
@peterh these are absolutely not duplicate. It looks more like another case of "let's see what I can get closed today" rather than diligent question curation.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-18T11:51:26.693Z
@JamesK Indeed not a duplicate, and [also agree](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/28774/7982) with the time stamp logic.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-18T22:43:11.803Z
@uhoh Questions like this are mostly closed on the site, my goal was to rather close it as dupe than some other reason (f.e. "unclear" or similar). I also voted it up, because I like such questions. I think, not really answerable questions like "what glowing/twinkling thing did I see yesterday" should be either answered, or closed as dupe of a question having a flow diagram like "how to identify glowing/twinkling things on the sky". But, typically I am inclusionist and spare the close votes. I am now not very sure, what to do. What do you think, what should I do now?
peterh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-19T00:45:51.420Z
lights-in-the-sky questions can be a challenge and I like that this site is as receptive to them as it is, and I think that some of the more zig-zagging-UFO-like ones should be closed as non-astronomical. But this question seems to be to be a model for on-topic as it describes a star-like object (twinkles, low to the horizon, doesn't move) and a geographic location. The OP forgot the time of observation, but if we assume they saw the star then asked the same evening, Sirius fits nicely.  To me the new user's positive experience is important, leaving this one open doesn't damage the site, so...
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-19T00:47:58.523Z
if you retract your close vote and leave a note saying so, then perhaps it won't be closed and the remaining votes will time-out. That's my thinking on this particular question.
uhoh
<star>
South-eastern sky above the tree line just now, NE Cape Cod, I saw a very bright, twinkling "star"
Nancy
# South-eastern sky above the tree line just now, NE Cape Cod, I saw a very bright, twinkling "star"

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-12-18)

I live in New England, Cape Cod to be exact.

I saw a very bright, twinkling object. I watched it for several minutes and it never moved. It was in the east just above the tree line, what might it be?

**Tags:** star

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Nicely written question; all the important information is here!  
> **username_2**: Possible duplicate of [Star like light moving in the sky, what could it be?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/11634/star-like-light-moving-in-the-sky-what-could-it-be)  
> **username_3**: Doesn't decribe "movement" hence not a dupe. What is missing is the exact time. From the time stamp I'd guess 02:00- 03:00 UTC or 21:00-22:00 in cape cod.  
> **username_1**: @username_2 these are absolutely not duplicate. It looks more like another case of "let's see what I can get closed today" rather than diligent question curation.  
> **username_1**: @JamesK Indeed not a duplicate, and [also agree](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/28774/7982) with the time stamp logic.  
> **username_2**: @username_1 Questions like this are mostly closed on the site, my goal was to rather close it as dupe than some other reason (f.e. "unclear" or similar). I also voted it up, because I like such questions. I think, not really answerable questions like "what glowing/twinkling thing did I see yesterday" should be either answered, or closed as dupe of a question having a flow diagram like "how to identify glowing/twinkling things on the sky". But, typically I am inclusionist and spare the close votes. I am now not very sure, what to do. What do you think, what should I do now?  
> **username_1**: lights-in-the-sky questions can be a challenge and I like that this site is as receptive to them as it is, and I think that some of the more zig-zagging-UFO-like ones should be closed as non-astronomical. But this question seems to be to be a model for on-topic as it describes a star-like object (twinkles, low to the horizon, doesn't move) and a geographic location. The OP forgot the time of observation, but if we assume they saw the star then asked the same evening, Sirius fits nicely.  To me the new user's positive experience is important, leaving this one open doesn't damage the site, so...  
> **username_1**: if you retract your close vote and leave a note saying so, then perhaps it won't be closed and the remaining votes will time-out. That's my thinking on this particular question.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-12-18. Score: 3

I just did the following:

* opened [in-the-sky.org](https://in-the-sky.org/),
* [manually chose the location](https://in-the-sky.org/location.php?) New Bedford, MA (close to Cape Cod) because I'm somewhere else (you wouldn't have to do that)
* selected [planetarium](https://in-the-sky.org/skymap.php)

and looked in the southeast and found that the brightest star in the sky [Sirius](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius) is currently only 20 degrees above the horizon. At that low altitude, and being a star (not a planet) it would definitely be bright and twinkle, and not appear to move like a plane.

It is rising, and moving diagonally to the right and up. Check back in an hour or so to confirm that if you are interested, or check in the next several days to confirm it's in the *almost* the same place each night.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/ov825.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/ov825.jpg)

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/yOxNF.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/yOxNF.jpg)

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Good stuff username_1.  
> **username_1**: @JohnDuffield in-the-sky.org is great stuff! I'm just master of screenshot/crop/paste ;-)  

---

