Unuasal Capture during Perseids

[ghewett]

Hi

Tried capturing some Perseids with out much luck but did capture this. There seems to be two light trails which appear to be separating left to right. They stop at different points but there then seems to be a very faint trail extending from both which slowly fades out. I'm interested to know if anyone has seen this before or can provide some kind of explanation.

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This was captured on an EOS 600D 50 second sub at ISO 800 using BackyardEOS which I left running in the back garden.

Garry

[Phil Fargaze]

That`s an interesting one! Sorry but I can`t really help with an explanation. The paths seem to be very parallel. If it fanned out, it might suggest one meteor splitting into two.

[wxsatuser]

What time/day.

Could be ISS.

[ghewett]

Good spot - it was 23.02 on 12/08/13 which does coincide with the ISS passing over head. Only ever seen the ISS as one single point of light like this:

[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/100428992@N08/9526890574/"][img=http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2845/9526890574_d08e173061.jpg][/url]

Garry

[ghewett]

Ooops

Try this

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[wxsatuser]

Cannot say for sure but may be the angle was just right for both solar arrays to cause a track.

Just a guess.

Nice catch......definately a keeper.

[LukeSkywatcher]

That is a strange one. The trail continues across the image even though the light fades out. Its bright enough to be the ISS but its colour is wrong. Must be the clouds doing that. Cant say ive ever seen the ISS as two separate trails before.

Interesting image.

[ghewett]

The only cloud is the orange blob on the left of the image so I'm not sure that would account for the colour. However, I have no other explanation. Just pleased to have caught something unusual!

Garry

[mallorcasaint]

Could be the HTV4 docked with the ISS causing the double trail?

[JB80]

That's a good shout, it was supposed to fly within 40 feet and hold that distance, it very well could be.

[Steve Ward]

Double-barrelled Photon torpedo shot ...

[ghewett]

Looks like it was the HTV4 and ISS.

This was on space.com:

http://www.space.com/22251-space-station-htv4-night-sky.html

Thanks for your help everyone.

Garry

[Steve Ward]

Can't see it being the ISS/HTV4 combo , zoomed in the tracks are identical whereas the ISS dwarfs the HTV4 , and the faint trails to the topleft and the change in brightness across the main trails from right to left don't look like the trail from the ISS to me .

The trails also show brighter edges at the top compared to the bottom ... ?

And the trails 'start' at two different points too ...?

Chances of two bits of a meteor so close together may be remote but it seems more likely to my eyes ...

Very interesting shot whatever it may be.

Could you submit it to Astrometry.net and get the bit of sky identified accurately and post the exact time of the shot , that way we can prove/eliminate the ISS part at least along with any other satellites . . . ?

[LukeSkywatcher]

The only cloud is the orange blob on the left of the image so I'm not sure that would account for the colour. However, I have no other explanation. Just pleased to have caught something unusual!

Garry

The only part of the image that is orange is where the cloud is so that explains that.

I didnt know about the HTV4 docking with ISS, but now i do, i'd say thats what the image shows. Not the actual docking but the catch-up.

[ghewett]

Steve

I think I've submitted it to asronomy.net as well. Not sure - it's quite different from SGL.

Garry

[tingting44]

any more info on this? cracking capture, WE NEED to know what it is loool

[Aenima]

Very interesting the two separate lines, and the faint one after o.O

I captured what I believe was the ISS during the perseids - see attached: but as of yet i'm not sure.

Many thanks for sharing, hope you figure it out

Regards

Aenima

[JB80]

Hmm, you know after looking at it some more I'm going to suggest the afterburners of a jet kicking in, it may explain why it slightly fades right to left as the jet picks up speed.

If you look closely to the right of the trail you can faintly see an even row of parralel lights, possibly nav lights?

[RogerTheDodger]

Ran it through astrometry.net to get the sky location in case it helps

[tingting44]

Very interesting the two separate lines, and the faint one after o.O

I captured what I believe was the ISS during the perseids - see attached: but as of yet i'm not sure.

Many thanks for sharing, hope you figure it out

Regards

Aenima

also great capture Aenima! i too have a pretty much similar picture to this! i was so shocked to get it as this was my best ever capture, but looking back at it on the camera i too am not sure if it is the perseids/iss/UFOOOOO loool, have not had the chance to get it on the pc even from my camera as my laptop with all my programs are broke, but am on the case to sort it out now and hopefully ill be able to post it up on here soon to also identify what my capture is

Ran it through astrometry.net to get the sky location in case it helps

Great stuff roger!!! hopefully it will be confirmed soon great capture what ever it is ghewett

[Steve Ward]

According to Stellarium the track is wrong for it to be Zarya .

[tingting44]

never heard the iss called zarya before! you learn something every day, how accurate is stellarium tho? well atleast were ruling out what its not.... loving this thread lol

[Steve Ward]

Pretty accurate I'd say , never been more than a second out from the HeavensAbove or Calsky timings.

Here's the HeavensAbove track for comparison , nowhere near Draco . . . http://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?Session=kebgfbefaijpicoencdkbbfa&satid=25544&mjd=56516.9197237037&type=V

[JB80]

It's definitely a plane or at a push a chopper but there is certainly a nav light trail faintly visible.

[mallorcasaint]

never heard the iss called zarya before! you learn something every day, how accurate is stellarium tho? well atleast were ruling out what its not.... loving this thread lol

Zarya is just one component of the ISS. It is a Russian cargo module.