red and green flashing stars

[balearic]

a group of us were looking at the stars last night and one was definately flashing red and green. It was not a plane as it didnt move and we were watching it for over 20 mins. It appeared(through binoculars) to be wriggling around a lot but there was a distinctive port/starboard color to it. Any ideas as we are all mystified?

[abstract]

good question! i have'nt star gazed for a long time,but when i did i can still remember some stars twinkling in red,blue green,yellow and always wondered what was happening up there......

[Mortartube]

This could be for two reasons.

Atmospheric disturbances causing light distortion. A bit like looking over the top of a bonfire and seeing the image behind shimmer in the heat.

Also some cheaper lenses cause an effect called chromatic abberration, which splits light like a prism and causes false colours when you look through them. This can be caused by small imperfections in a lens and introduce small amounts of colours around viewd objects.

[Teddio]

If a bright star is low down near the horizon it will appear to twinkle and flash different colours. The light will pass through a much thicker layer of turbulent atmosphere and the dynamic dispersion of light will produce different colours. Sirius is the best example as viewed from the UK.

[balearic]

Thanks for all your answers. Sorry didnt say that I live in Menorca and thats where we saw it. We were looking at it with the naked eye most of the time so there was no distortion of colours through binoculas. It was very dark where we were so no street lights etc so it was very clear. My friends thought it was some kind of military satelite?

[mibn2cweus]

Most satellites are readily distinguishable from stars by their rapid (slower and typically longer lasting than meteors) 'linier' movement among the stars.

Geosynchronous satellites, however, occupy a specific point in the sky and are less obvious . . . unless . . .
click on Bright Geoflashers