Weird green laser in the sky

[Zakama]

So, on the way back from Indy 4 (which, in my opinion was terrible; but that's for another thread) my sister spotted a green laser in the sky. There was a brighter portion of it that would move down the beam, the best way I can describe it would be a spark. The entire beam would also get dimmer and brighter before the whole thing went out. This (http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/565000/images/_568479_greenwich300.jpg) is the closest picture I could find, imagine it brighter and with the spark.

This was over Madison, WI, just in case anyone else maybe saw it. It's worth a try.

Of course, I promptly played Final Countdown upon getting back into the car :smallbiggrin:

[Solo]

Oh, you mean the top secret military laser designed to shoot down missiles?

[Vavaara]

There must be Protoss materializing into Madison. That green glow was them opening the portals!

Wait, where will they get their Vespene Gas!?!

[reorith]

it is a low orbit ion cannon. i wish i was lucky enough to see one in operation.

[Mauve Shirt]

This could be the same alien invasion that came over Fredericksburg the other night! We had weird flashes of green and white light in the sky, it was like a cross between Avada Kedavra and lightning!

[SurlySeraph]

Oh that's nothing to worry about, just a typical sign of the apocalypse. Speaking of which, REPENT! REPEEEEEEEEENT! THE TIME RUNS SHORT FOR YE, FOR THE GREEN LASER OF JUDGMENT SHALL BEND IT'S CHARTREUSE WRATH UPON YE ALL! REPEEEEEEEEEEEEEENT!
So, yeah, it's probably nothing important.

[Serpentine]

Weird.

I saw the Aurora Australis late one night... That was pretty creepy. Half the sky went blood red, and there were wide, kinda dim beams of white light coming from the south... Very cool.

[Zakama]

There must be Protoss materializing into Madison. That green glow was them opening the portals!

Wait, where will they get their Vespene Gas!?!

Our lakes are so polluted, I bet they could extract ves from there. Lake Monona is the most studied lake in the world. :smallcool:

[Bhu]

Theres an optical efect like this caused by sunlight. Now if only I can remember what sight its on...

[Bhu]

here we go

http://listverse.com/science/20-amazing-and-unusual-weather-phenomena/

scroll down to green ray

[Thanatos 51-50]

I'm not allowed to tell you about that over an unsecure medium such as this.
:smallamused:

In all honesty and with joking aside, were there any car sales or any thing of the sort in the gerneral area or origin? I've seen skylights & lasers used to draw attention to such spots before. Kind of like advertisements.

[Bor the Barbarian Monk]

Ummm...Hi. As much as I hate to insert a bit of fact into this highly amusing assumption of alien invasions and the like, the International Space Station has been visible (here in AZ) to the north during the clear night skies. Perhaps this is what you were seeing, with a few added atmospheric effects?

That, or there were using their photon beam to assassinate someone on the planet. Ya never know. :smallwink:

[randman22222]

You know what that may be? I just read an article in National Geographic about a telescope that uses a green laser to somehow find out information about black holes.

*Looks for article.*

I'll check back with more info.

EDIT: Nevermind. They're using a red laser for that.... Maybe that green flash thing that happens at sunset and sunrise?

[Trog]

Could have been a meteor. The one time I saw one it glowed green, left a long trail after it, and had a green spark at the front. :smallconfused:

That link Bhu posted was pretty interesting. Now if scientists could only figure out this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwTZ2xpQwpA) weather phenomenon.

[Serpentine]

Ummm...Hi. As much as I hate to insert a bit of fact into this highly amusing assumption of alien invasions and the like, the International Space Station has been visible (here in AZ) to the north during the clear night skies. Perhaps this is what you were seeing, with a few added atmospheric effects?

That, or there were using their photon beam to assassinate someone on the planet. Ya never know. :smallwink:Since when have space stations been green and beam-shaped :smallconfused:

I reckon someone's been messing with a laser pointer. They've had big problems with people pointing them at aeroplanes in Sydney lately.

[Hoggy]

S'Cloverfield innit.

[Nonanonymous]

Whoops, sorry about that one folks. We were aiming for Alderaan, you're lucky it didn't hit'cha!:smallbiggrin:

[bosssmiley]

Weird.

I saw the Aurora Australis late one night... That was pretty creepy. Half the sky went blood red, and there were wide, kinda dim beams of white light coming from the south... Very cool.

Aurora Australis: that'd be the nightmarish penguins of Antarctica worshipping Dread Cthulhu then.

[Archonic Energy]

it certainly wasn't Torchwood... no-sir-ee...

*whistles innocently*

the O2 dome in London has a big green laser that scares the hell outta me at work, occasionly.

[Solo]

The British are coming! The British are coming!

[bosssmiley]

The British are coming! The British are coming!

There's nothing you can do to stop the relentless tea-fuelled advance of Great British Win!

Behold the might of the Royal Armoured Steamtrooper Corps:

http://steampunk.wildwinter.net/site/data/uploads/incharactermaterial.rdlabs.thesirgalahad.clockwork divingsuits/clockwork%20diving%20suit.jpg

"The thousand nations of the British Empire descend upon you! Our bowler hats and umbrellas shall blot out the sun!"

[Solo]

"The thousand nations of the British Empire descend upon you! Our bowler hats and umbrellas shall blot out the sun!"

So much the better. We will quip in the shade.

[Serpentine]

Alright Solo, you just went up a couple of notches.

By the way, I think that this (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Aurora_australis_panorama.jpg) picture might be of the very same one I saw. Unfortunately it doesn't have a date of capture, but I know I was out walking at around 11pm when I saw it. This (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Aurora_australis.jpg) one looks more like what I remember seeing, though.

[Skippy]

They were testing this theory (http://blag.xkcd.com/2008/02/15/the-laser-elevator/)

[thubby]

its probably a spotlight from a movie theater or night club.

[xPANCAKEx]

in london they shoot a green laser from the meridian at greenwich - runs exactly along the 0 hour time line

pretty sweet

[babymama]

From today's Wisconsin State Journal...I live in Madison WI and have been wondering about the mysterious green laser for a few months now! So glad to finally have an answer...

Just Ask Us: Green beam is a laser light radar system
Q. I was boating with some friends on Lake Monona recently and we noticed a solid green light beam emanating from a tall building on the UW-Madison campus. What was it?

A. It is a green Martian death ray.

At least, that's how staff at the UW-Madison Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences jokingly responded to the question about the green laser coming from on top of the Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Science Building, 1225 West Dayton St.

In truth, said senior scientist Ed Eloranta, it is a laser light radar system. "We use it to study clouds and dust in the atmosphere," Eloranta said. "We have one system like this that we built in place in the Arctic."

The light now visible is one they're building for the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., to put on a research aircraft. It's used to get more accurate measurements for research on climate.

The light is normally tested pointing straight up, but this one also functions horizontally. To work through recent performance concerns, Eloranta's group has been pointing it at the Monona water tower, using the tower like a movie screen to test it.

Eloranta stresses the laser beam is entirely safe. For more information, visit lidar.ssec.wisc.edu.

— Melanie Conklin

[Neftren]

As Serpentine has pointed out, it is probably a Laser Pointer. I know that many astronomers who give presentations often bring laser pointers which are modified for maximum visibility. They work by reflecting light off particles in the air, and generally have a point that ends about a mile or two up in the air.

Judging from the skyline seen in the background, the local air quality could have represented a large number of such particles in the air. Was it particularly dusty or possibly a code orange or red air quality day? If so, the large number of particles occurring in the air could quite possibly have been moving at a speed that would generate the appearance of "sparks".

[BizzaroStormy]

Its just our government trying to shoot down Sputnik. NASA is still being a sore loser about being 2nd in space and botching the moon landing.

[Zakama]

From today's Wisconsin State Journal...I live in Madison WI and have been wondering about the mysterious green laser for a few months now! So glad to finally have an answer...

*snip*

— Melanie Conklin

Ahh, cool! Thanks for the answer.

[TigerHunter]

Its just our government trying to shoot down Sputnik. NASA is still being a sore loser about being 2nd in space and botching the moon landing.
You don't seriously believe we landed on the moon, do you? It's all a big conspiracy.

[Zakama]

You don't seriously believe we landed on the moon, do you? It's all a big conspiracy.

:smallsigh:

Please tell me you're kidding....