What is this?

[thenews24]

Not the ISS becuase when this was taken, ISS was not anywhere near my location.

Some kind of satellite? Alien spaceship? Dragonfly?

It only took 9 frames to cross the disc. I was recording at 15fps.

The clearest still from it:

[Planetesimal]

Really looks like the ISS to me!

[thenews24]

Yeah I take that back, it probably was the ISS. I was looking at some wrond data on ISS location.

[Woking]

Really cool if it is the ISS.

[nmoushon]

Ya im pretty sure thats the ISS or a very very very big satellite. My money is on the ISS. Nice capture!

[thenews24]

Whats amazing is this was completely unintentional. Luckily I was recording while adjusting the scope. All of a sudden I see something fly across the disc, that looked unual. Looked back and the trecording and sure enough, the ISS. Looked online at its location and interperuted it wrong. But sur eenough, this must be it.

Here's the individual frames colorzed:

[Steve Ward]

If you can remember the time of the shoot you can check it out with Stellarium , CalSky or HeavensAbove.

It's the ISS for sure , great serendipitous capture , it took me forever to catch that shot and that was trying . . .

Steve.

[Stargazer Jack]

Great capture

[Sp@ce_d]

Nice one..

[Montana]

Very very well caught!!!

Calsky will give you very accurate data to the second for your coordinates, it will also give you all the other satellites as well so you can make a positive ID. It looks a strange shape for the ISS but I guess it does depend on it's angle. It looks very narrow in the centre to me, I thought it was quite rounded in the middle? Yours looks like there is no living quarters, this is very evident on the still image? Here is an image I took to compare shape

Alexandra

[AndyH]

Wow

'Nuff said really

Andy

[Steve Ward]

Having zoomed in on your images I'n not convinced that it is the ISS now , it looks more like ERS 2 or Lotus S-1

Your capture zoomed.

ERS 2.

Lotus S-1.

If you could give us a capture time it would help pinpoint it.

Steve.

[Stargazer Jack]

I see you got on the front of spaceweather.com, right? Well done if it is

[DrRobin]

That is amazing Steve, that you are able to determine which satellite it is, without even time and date. I can see a job offer from the MoD in the post!

Great capture by the way.

[Steve Ward]

. . . . . . I just ran through the likely time in Stellarium and then checked out the possible candidates in Google Images . . . these were the only ones I could find that would possibly give that silhouette .

If I get some heavyset square-jawed Ruskies on the doorstep soon I'll let you know . . .

Steve.

[DrRobin]

I can see the headline now 'Amateur astronomer discovers secret spy satellite' MoD refuses to comment as man is taken away to Guantanamo Bay'

Still a bit of outstanding silhoutte matching.

Cloud is clearing from the north, so off to see if I can get some Sun in.

[Steve Ward]

What are the skies like in Cuba ? . . . I sense a cunning plan about to hatch . . .

[DrRobin]

Hurricane at the moment, I think? Anyway they are bound to put you in a cell with no windows.

[Steve Ward]

[AndyH]

......If I get some heavyset square-jawed Ruskies on the doorstep soon I'll let you know . . .

look out for chaps carrying pointy poison tipped umbrellas...........allegedly.

[Steve Ward]

Problem is there that everybody's carrying an umbrella today . . .

[AndyH]

Mmm. Cross the road, often. Different route ever day. Might get some VERY strange looks as you dance from one side of the street to the other

[Steve Ward]

I'd get very strange looks if I was seen walking any further than to the van . . . I don't pay all that MOT , tax and insurance stuff to wear out shoe leather . . .

[thenews24]

The time was roughly between 2050-2100 UTC: 2012-10-25

The Sun from my location was roughly 40alt, 205-210 azimuth.

So I'd be looking over the Pacific in south, southwest direction when the transit occured.

The Lotus S-1 imgae looks amost exact. From what I understand though, the Lotus Satelites are SSO, maybe 600-800km orbital height? Whereas the ISS is slightly closer at 330-410km. Given the angular diamter in my image, and assuming that the Lotus is at that orbital heighth, it would have to be huge. Longer than the ISS.

[Steve Ward]

Just had alook at CalSky's listing . . . http://www.calsky.com/observer/datasats.cgi . . . over 20,000 to pick from , it's a good job Stellarium doesn't show them all . . .