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Case file · part of an event with other witnesses · #y525fjpnvsh5

Hovering white light over Tampa, Oct 27, 2026 (possible twinkling star)

Tampa, Florida, US · Oct 27, 2026, 6:50 PM EDT · reported by WTH Team · 0 witnesses

Probably twinkling star

Sky Snapshot frozen for 6:50 PM ±15 min

NSEWDELTA 1 R/BXRISMCZ-4B R/BORBVIEW 2 (SEASTSaturnMercury
6:50 PM
Sky
daylight
Moon
waning gibbous, below the horizon
Planets up
Saturn (15°), Mercury (8°)
Bright stars
Arcturus (west 9°), Vega (northwest 67°), Altair (south 70°), Antares (southwest 13°)
Weather
clear, wind 21 km/h
Space weather
quiet (Kp 2.33)
Sunset
6:49 PM

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What the witness saw

When
Oct 27, 2026, 6:50 PM EDT
Where
Tampa, Florida, US
Looking
southwest, low in the sky
Lasted
1.0 hours
Looked like
one, white/orange, point, still
Sound
none

Example case (staff): a very bright orange-white light low in the southwest right after sunset that did not move for over half an hour. Looked like a plane with its landing lights on but never got closer.

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Ranked explanations

  1. Bright star (twinkling) Possible76%
    • +25Antares (magnitude 1.06) was 13° up in that direction.
    • +10Low in the sky, where a bright star twinkles hardest.
    • +8Twinkling is strongest near the horizon.
    • +15A fixed position fits a star.
    • +10Stays for a long time.
  2. Mercury (bright planet) Possible55%
    • -15Mercury was up but not especially bright.
    • +30It was in the SW where you were looking.
    • -10Its height above the horizon does not match.
    • +20A light that just sits there is the planet signature (it drifts west slowly with the sky).
    • +15Visible for a long time, like a planet.
    • +5One steady light.
  3. Sky lantern Possible53%
    • +20Orange flickering glow is a sky lantern.
    • +20Drifts slowly with the wind, often rising.
    • +5Silent.
  4. Weather balloon Possible50%
    • +15Weather balloons show as a bright white dot in daylight.
    • +15Nearly stationary, slowly drifting.
    • +10White fits.
    • +5Visible for a long time.
    • ·Nearby radiosonde flights (SondeHub) can be checked on request.
  5. Drone Doesn't fit35%
    • +20Hovering in place is the drone move.
    • +10Drones fly low.
    • -10Most drones land within half an hour.
    • -5In daylight you would usually see the body, not just a light.
  6. Balloon Doesn't fit33%
    • +15Daytime, when balloons are easiest to spot.
    • +15Silver or white and shiny fits a foil or party balloon.
    • +10Nearly still from a distance, though a balloon always drifts eventually.
    • -15A balloon drifts out of view within an hour.

What we checked

  • ✓Satellites: no bright pass in the window
  • ✓Starlink trains: none predicted
  • ✓Launches: none within 90 minutes and 2,500 km
  • –Aircraft: flight history check pending
  • ✓Planets & Moon: Saturn, Mercury; Moon down
  • ✓Space weather: quiet (Kp 2.33)
  • ✓Weather: clear, visibility 16.1 km
  • ✓Meteor showers: Orionids, Taurids
How this answer was computed

We froze the sky for a ±15-minute window around Oct 27, 2026, 10:50 PM UTC at 27.96, -82.47 and scored 20 candidate explanations. Each candidate starts from a base rate and gains or loses points for every detail the witness gave and every record we found; the reasons are listed above with their point values. "Likely" means 80% or more, "Possible" 50–79%, anything below is "Doesn't fit". Nothing above 50% means the case stays unexplained.

Sources: orbital elements from Space-Track/CelesTrak propagated with SGP4 (satellite.js); launch schedule from Launch Library 2; planetary Kp from NOAA SWPC; weather from NOAA NWS station KTPF; Sun, Moon and planet positions computed locally with astronomy-engine. Engine 0.3.0, snapshot v2, computed Oct 28, 2026, 9:32 PM UTC.

Discussion 0 replies

Sky Investigator AI first look

Here is what the sky data says for Tampa, Florida, US at Oct 27, 2026, 6:50 PM EDT: Twinkling star is a possible match at 76%, but it is not a lock. Why: Antares (magnitude 1.06) was 13° up in that direction; Low in the sky, where a bright star twinkles hardest. Also worth considering: Planet (55%). A couple of things would sharpen this:

• Did it blink or change color at any point?
• Did you get a photo or video, even a blurry one?

Grounded in the sky checks above; it cannot claim more than the data shows. Was this first look helpful?

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