Two separate video recordings of the Pleiades (M45), centered on eta Tauri (Alcyone), were obtained from Gammelsdorf, Bavaria, Germany, on 2026-08-15. The recording times displayed in the source-file information were 02:17 and 02:22 local time (CEST), corresponding to approximately 00:17 UTC and 00:22 UTC. The currently available time information is accurate only to approximately one minute. Observation 1: Approximate time: 2026-08-15 00:17 UTC Source file: C0114 Video format: H.264, 1920 x 1080 The apparent brightening is most clearly visible at approximately 6.3 seconds in the examined video segment.
Video: https://youtu.be/-bN5X_3j7Hk Observation 2: Approximate time: 2026-08-15 00:22 UTC Source file: C0115 Video format: H.264, 1920 x 1080 The apparent brightening is most clearly visible at approximately 1.3 seconds in the examined video segment.
Video: https://youtu.be/hntWICafNbg The observations were made approximately five minutes apart. During the second recording, the camera moved across the field in the opposite direction from the first recording. The apparent brightenings were discovered later during frame-by-frame inspection. The visible duration appears to be on the order of a few tenths of a second. In the examined frames, the brightening appears spatially associated with the immediate region of Alcyone. The images have not yet been astrometrically or photometrically calibrated. No physical association with Alcyone is claimed. Instrumental saturation, automatic camera processing, video-compression effects, optical reflections, atmospheric phenomena, satellites, aircraft and other near-Earth causes have not yet been conclusively excluded.
Combined comparison and description of both observations: https://youtu.be/0TcVRK3jU5Y
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