20 replies to this topic

[GinaLynn]

Hi.  I had a sighting of a double moon in late October, 1995.  Here are the details.

It had been an unusually warm and dry winter so far that year.  I was on picket duty in late October, 1995, when I saw something I will never forget.  Around 10:00 a.m. I happened to look straight up in the sky and saw the moon.  It appeared very large and was about 3/4 full (sorry, I don't know the proper term).  After staring at it for a couple of minutes, it occurred to me that it was in the wrong part of the sky.  That's when I looked southward, towards the horizon and saw it again.  I did a double-, triple-, quadruple-take!  I couldn't believe my eyes.  I did a comparison and the moons were identical.

I was alone that day. picketing a lesser-used back entrance to Fred Meyer main office, in Portland, OR.  I couldn't believe my bad luck - that day there was noone there to be a witness to what I was seeing!  I even tried to stop a couple of bicyclists to get them to stop and look up to the sky to see what I was seeing.  I guess they figured I was crazy, as they wouldn't stop for me but kept riding on.

I continued to look back and forth, at the moon in the sky above and the one at the horizon.  Until it made me dizzy.  I kept expecting the one overhead to disappear.  After awhile, I guess I got tired of looking at them, especially with noone to discuss them with.  My attention wandered and before I knew it, it was afternoon and my husband was picking me up.  I looked for the moons, but, of course, they were gone.  He didn't believe that I had really seen what I had seen.

So that was that.  Every so often, I Google the internet looking for any mention of two moons being sighted in the sky at once.  I have found one about a double-crescent moon (http://www.bautforum...scent-moon.html) and two moons on the horizon with one a little higher than the other (http://forums.xkcd.c...=514965#p514965).  But no others quite like my double-moon sighting.

And no, I wasn't drinking or on drugs, and I am not crazy.  I have always thought of myself as a logical-thinking individual with my feet firmly planted on the ground.  Boy did this experience rock my boat!

[Xeaphon]

I don't really know but I think there are four possible explanations

1. It was some sort of reflection on a cloud/the atmosphere etc
2. The image of the moon was burnt into your retina (like when you look at something bright, shut your eyes and you can still sort of see it)
3. You were hallucinating
4. It was some sort of comet, asteroid or other sattelite of the Earth which happened to look like the moon

[GinaLynn]

Xeaphon,

Thanks for the feedback.  If I have a choice, I'll definitely pick #1!

Answer #2 might almost explain it, except for the fact that I noticed the moon directly above, first.

Answer #3.  Well, I COULD have been hallucinating.  However, if I accept that answer, then I must accept the possibility that I COULD be halucinating right now.  And that my whole life experience is a hallucination!  At which point, discussing all this is moot, anyway!

Answer #4 is very unlikely, since anything of that size passing that close to the earth would most probably cause the destruction of the earth, or, at the very least, wipe out all living things on it.  And we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place.  Moot again!

I tend to believe it was caused by a refraction of the atmosphere or a mirage.  What troubles me most about this explanation, is that other moon mirages I have read about were at the horizon or very close to it.  This one, being straight overhead in the sky, doesn't follow any kind of scientific explanation that I can find.

I appreciate your response to my posting.  I hope I receive more inteligent suggestions as to the cause of my double moon sighting.

[bee]

  That's strange....I've never heard of seeing TWO MOONS before.

  My first thought was....perhaps you were in a 'time warp' moment (if there is such a thing.. )

  Perhaps you saw the same moon but they were a few hours apart?

  Interesting experience you had there....

[Lightning88]

10am or pm? if am as you said,is it possible you saw the sun and moon?

[GinaLynn]

It was AM (morning).  No, the sun was in another place in the sky.  Plus the two moons were identical in features, like I stated.  Thanks for the thought.  -GinaLynn

silverracerkh2005 on Feb 12 2008, 08:37 AM, said:

10am or pm? if am as you said,is it possible you saw the sun and moon?

[Lightning88]

well then i have no clue,lol

[steven 17]

GinaLynn on Feb 6 2008, 03:17 PM, said:

Hi.  I had a sighting of a double moon in late October, 1995.  Here are the details.

It had been an unusually warm and dry winter so far that year.  I was on picket duty in late October, 1995, when I saw something I will never forget.  Around 10:00 a.m. I happened to look straight up in the sky and saw the moon.  It appeared very large and was about 3/4 full (sorry, I don't know the proper term).  After staring at it for a couple of minutes, it occurred to me that it was in the wrong part of the sky.  That's when I looked southward, towards the horizon and saw it again.  I did a double-, triple-, quadruple-take!  I couldn't believe my eyes.  I did a comparison and the moons were identical.

I was alone that day. picketing a lesser-used back entrance to Fred Meyer main office, in Portland, OR.  I couldn't believe my bad luck - that day there was noone there to be a witness to what I was seeing!  I even tried to stop a couple of bicyclists to get them to stop and look up to the sky to see what I was seeing.  I guess they figured I was crazy, as they wouldn't stop for me but kept riding on.

I continued to look back and forth, at the moon in the sky above and the one at the horizon.  Until it made me dizzy.  I kept expecting the one overhead to disappear.  After awhile, I guess I got tired of looking at them, especially with noone to discuss them with.  My attention wandered and before I knew it, it was afternoon and my husband was picking me up.  I looked for the moons, but, of course, they were gone.  He didn't believe that I had really seen what I had seen.

So that was that.  Every so often, I Google the internet looking for any mention of two moons being sighted in the sky at once.  I have found one about a double-crescent moon (http://www.bautforum...scent-moon.html) and two moons on the horizon with one a little higher than the other (http://forums.xkcd.c...=514965#p514965).  But no others quite like my double-moon sighting.

And no, I wasn't drinking or on drugs, and I am not crazy.  I have always thought of myself as a logical-thinking individual with my feet firmly planted on the ground.  Boy did this experience rock my boat!

you dont need any of these to think your seeing things , infrasound waves can make you see double vision to  and even though the plans to biuld these devices are on the net  these have allso been asociated with ufos to , infrasound can do wierd things to you ,

[Lightning88]

steven 17 on Feb 21 2008, 03:18 PM, said:

you dont need any of these to think your seeing things , infrasound waves can make you see double vision to  and even though the plans to biuld these devices are on the net  these have allso been asociated with ufos to , infrasound can do wierd things to you ,

I know nothing about that,but i think it's the best answer you will get,lol

[Chris327]

Either I myself am loosing my mind or there must be a explination as to this. I'm 28 years old
And tonight for the 3rd time I saw this myself I looked west at the moon about 60% full, proceeded up the hill to
Lock up a building looked up dead north and the moon was there. I then walked backwards watching the north moon until
passing inbetween a tree and it to then look west to find it there. I don't drink smoke drugs medication nada.
This truely is weirding me out a bit. This occured at 1055pm est on the new jersey new york state border also on a side note the moon was visible during the day each time.

Edited by Chris327, 13 May 2011 - 04:38 AM.

[scaredsilly]

Any chance of there being more than 1 moon?  

[TheFlyingDutchman]

It was most likely a mirage or illusion.

Quote

An optical phenomenon is any observable event which results from the interaction of light and matter. See also list of optical topics and optics. A mirage is an example of an optical phenomenon.

Common optical phenomena are often due to the interaction of light from the sun or moon with the atmosphere, clouds, water, or dust and other particulates. One common example would be the rainbow, when light from the sun is reflected and refracted by water droplets. Some, such as the green ray, are so rare they are sometimes thought to be mythical.[1] Others, such as Fata Morganas, are commonplace in favored locations.

Other phenomena are simply interesting aspects of optics, or optical effects. The colors generated by a prism are often shown in classrooms, for instance.

Optical Phenomenon

Edited by TheFlyingDutchman, 15 May 2011 - 04:54 AM.

[Wookietim]

I don't suppose you have any pictures do you? It's not so much that I don't believe you as it is that I really wish I could see something like that and other people's pictures seem to be the only way I am gonna get a chance to glimpse it...

[Marianne17]

Hi,

I live in North Queensland Australia, and last night -January 13th 2012-, at around 8:30 pm my partner and I saw the Moon -almost full Moon- on the sky. The location of the Moon was at 2 o'clock (I mean, looking towards the East, but far from the horizon, almost over head, were the 2 o'clock would be if you would be in the centre of the clock, being 12 o'clock directly overhead and 6 o'clock underneath your feet). The night was very still, with some haze, little wind and a few clouds in the sky. It is summer down here, so the night was pretty hot and the humidity around 60%.

I don't know why, but I felt that something was strange about the Moon. I called my partner and he came outside to the landing and we both saw the Moon and the sky for a few minutes. Nothing definitely strange was in the landscape, but it was just an uneasy feeling I had.

This morning, at around 8:00 am, we were walking around the back yard and we saw the Moon. I said: "Look at the Moon". and he said: "Yes, almost full." We came inside the house and had breakfast, etc.

Around 1 hour ago, I was thinking about this and that, and then the idea struck me like a lightning. How we could have seen the Moon at 8:30 pm and again at 8:00 am this morning, almost exactly 12 hours apart???

The Moon we saw this morning was towards the West, in the location of 10 o'clock. Which means that in twelve hours the Moon just moved around 90 degrees????

That is absolutelly impossible!!!

I thought I was going completely crazy, but my partner saw exactly the same, and he firmly believes there is no such thing as extraterrestrial life and that everything has a perfect explanation.

I did a Google search trying to find videos or an explanation of what we saw, and I could not find anything -except this forum-.

Just like Gina, my partner and I have a very logical and scientific minds and we don't smoke, we have never done drugs and we don't drink. I am 51 and he is 72, so we are not teenagers either.

Please, we need a very logical explanation of what we saw.

The mirages of the Moon I have seen on the Internet are all close to the horizon, but the Moons we saw last night and again this morning were away from it.

Please, tell me what is going on??

[Englishgent]

Most likely is the mirage explanation.
It doesnt just happen with the moon. There have been instances of ships being seen above the sea line on the horizon and inverted. (upside down) Also people have seen outlines of cities where they shouldnt be.  All down to atmospheric conditions. So dont worry GinaLynn, you are not going mad