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Big cats, unexplained lights and a floodlit eclipse — 7 skywatching 'horror stories' to keep you entertained this Halloween
Stargazing doesn't always go to plan, and we have the stories to prove it.
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Halloween is almost upon us! To celebrate we've pulled together a series of short "skywatching horror stories" perfect for getting you in the mood for the spooky season.
Granted, stargazing may not be the most hazardous of past times. But you'd be surprised how often things can go wrong. The best laid plans can be shattered by the unforeseen, unexpected phenomena can leave you scared witless, or mother nature itself can step in to remind us how little control we have over the environment around us.
Many of the stories serve as a cautionary tale, while others are simply..unfortunate. Be sure to share your stories of skywatching "horror stories" in the comments below for a chance to feature in next year's Halloween coverage!
And how better to kick off our Halloween skywatching tales than with a retelling of the strange event that terrified my entire family during a trip to France, two decades ago.
We had rented a house in the Charente, with few neighbors and no city lights. It was a stargazer's paradise, so each night we would sit outside as dusk's light faded to twilight.
One night, we stood transfixed as an electrical storm conjured sheet lightning in the distance, when without warning a shining ball of light burst into being on the near horizon. We watched, unsettled as the yellow-red light gently descended behind a row of oaks before passing over the nearby field.
My mom fled inside, convinced that we'd seen a UFO, while my dad and brothers stood and watched as the light silently flitted between the trees before disappearing from sight around five minutes after it had appeared.
We were alone in the darkness, trying to make sense of what we'd seen when a rustle in the bushes had us borderline sprinting inside, all pretences of bravery gone and images of alien greys in our heads.