ORWELL , Ohio (WJW) – A “strange light” was spotted in the sky over Northeast Ohio on Thursday.
Timothy Richman in Ashtabula County shared a video of the light captured on his phone from his backyard in Orwell at about 11:30 p.m.
He said the “strange light” lasted for “some time” and was in the western sky. He asked, “Did anyone else see this?”
The video shows the light appearing to flicker. Take a look in the video player above .
So, what was it?
According to local astronomer Jay Reynolds, it was likely the star named “Arcturus.”
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Reynolds explains that this time of year, after 11 p.m. and on a clear night, the bright star can be seen very low in the western sky. It’s one of the brightest stars in the northern hemisphere, he said.
As for its flickering appearance — well, we can thank these hot and humid days for that!
“During the early weeks of September, Arcturus is very low in the western sky, coupled with our very warm, humid conditions as of late, Arcturus seems to flicker a great deal and can even give the impression of movement,” explained Reynolds. “That’s because our weather conditions can actually bend the light and at times, even separate it into individual colors of mostly red & orange.”