Looking for a rational explanation for 5 satellite like lights moving from the triangulum constellation?

[Tim]

I've seen a group of three doing that, triangle formation too. Well known satellite(s), cant recalls the name.

[Paul M]

Thanks for explaining Paul.......saves me attempting it

Lets see if anyone spots them tonight, if its clear.

Once I started I wondered what I'd done!

I think it may well be a bino job.

Thanks for the instructions, Paul, but I'm having a couple of issues...

Um, I don't have anything to tick - just a list of the urls. I'm using Stellarium 0.12 on a Mac if that makes a difference?

I don't seem to be able to see the Breeze-M satellites in Search, or in the plough.

Also, how does one adjust the limiting magnitude in Stellarium?

(I thought this might be worth a look!)

Not sure where your tick boxes are?? I have a tick box at the left hand end of each url. I see you have input the url ok though. What happened when you asked it to update?

I might have you on a wild goose chase with the magnitude. I've also been playing with this in Satellite Safari which has a selectable minimum display magnitude.

Thank you, Paul M for the Stellarium description it's really great that. One though it seem to have satellites named 2013-064 & Breeze-M fragments seem to be else where in the sky?

But the 2013-064s seem to match the formation & timing last night:

Are the 2013-064s the same as Breeze-M?

Err,, wxsatuser is the expert in that field! I just got a pretty display of satellites to show

[AndyWB]

Update showed:

No sign of it having updated with the Breeze-M data. I'm wondering if this is a bug in the OSX version.

[Paul M]

It might be worth searching for the objects using the names showing on my screen. There are 5 in the chain labelled 2013–046A to 2013-046F there is no D in the sequence.

Sent from my ZT ICS using Tapatalk 4

[AndyWB]

Hmm. No luck. I'll try this on my Windows-based system tomorrow, and if that works I think I'll log it as a bug.

[Paul M]

Just got back in from looking for this five in a row.

No luck. I searched with the bins and naked eye.

The only satellite I saw was (I think) ALOS (DAICHI) which glinted briefly just below the handle of the plough. According to stellarium at just about the point it glinted it should have been in line with and just ahead of my targets, becoming a wayward 6th member for a moment!

My sky is pants though. No cloud but there must be a high haze being illuminated by the dreadful glow from Blackpool's wonderful Illuminations

As for ALOS, it's another one worth watching. I only know of it because I caught it by chance last night making an overhead pass S-N. It was fairly easy but variable naked eye with regular dips below naked eye brightness. As it headed down past Polaris it flared very brightly, perhaps mag -1. Stellarium identified it for me

Turns out it has a large solar array and it's quite likely tumbling as it's long since died.

[MYLUCKYSTARS]

I just saw 2 of the 2013-064 they were very faint couldn't even get them in binoculars. I only saw 2 use my scope with the wide field view. Last night at a guess I'd say they may have got as bright as Altair.

[wxsatuser]

Bit of a foul up here.

These objects are not Breeze-M, my mistake.

What we have is something better in my book.

This is Yaogan 17........Chinese sats just launched Sept 1st.

Now it's supposed to be 3 sats in formation but we have what appears to be 5, hmmmm!

I'm trying to find more info, D is missing as I believe it was the upper stage rocket.

[wxsatuser]

Bit more.

These are most likely military sats similar to the US Navy NOSS sats.

Info so far suggests these track warships and will form a triangular pattern.

[MYLUCKYSTARS]

Bit of a foul up here.

These objects are not Breeze-M, my mistake.

What we have is something better in my book.

This is Yaogan 17........Chinese sats just launched Sept 1st.

Now it's supposed to be 3 sats in formation but we have what appears to be 5, hmmmm!

I'm trying to find more info, D is missing as I believe it was the upper stage rocket.

I've seen D on Stellarium it seem to be flying on it's own. D will be going through Plough around 21:07 & 22:56 tonight.

Are the 2013-064 in anyway related to the 2011-064: http://www.celestrak...11/2011-064.asp?

[m37]

If you look here http://nightevents.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/flashing-space-junk.html at the first picture in the top right hand corner there appears to be what you saw?

[Paul M]

Bit of a foul up here.

These objects are not Breeze-M, my mistake.

What we have is something better in my book.

This is Yaogan 17........Chinese sats just launched Sept 1st.

Now it's supposed to be 3 sats in formation but we have what appears to be 5, hmmmm!

I'm trying to find more info, D is missing as I believe it was the upper stage rocket.

Good work that man!

We'll need to keep our TLE's bang up to date if they're going to be making some maneuvers.

[MYLUCKYSTARS]

If you look here http://nightevents.b...space-junk.html at the first picture in the top right hand corner there appears to be what you saw?

Its similar looking.

[shirva]

I think its alien ufo's.....we come in peace...lol..Davy

[MYLUCKYSTARS]

I saw exactly the same as you described with just a few more lights travelling in a line

i couldnt explain it either these came out of hercules and travelling fast

Very strange

Interesting, would you mind giving more detail? Like how many more? Direction description? & Brightness? Ect.(if you can remember these things of course)

[andyman]

Interesting, would you mind giving more detail? Like how many more? Direction description? & Brightness? Ect.(if you can remember these things of course)

Hi yes i was stood in the garden debating to get the scope out

Just happened to be looking at hercules then all of a sudden a row of about eight lights appeared from nowhere

Not bright but bright enough to see clearly.They were travelling north towards the plough very fast

Then after about 6 seconds just disappeared sent shivers down my spine weird

Your not thinking what im thinking are you no it couldnt be could it :grin:

[MYLUCKYSTARS]

Hi yes i was stood in the garden debating to get the scope out

Just happened to be looking at hercules then all of a sudden a row of about eight lights appeared from nowhere

Not bright but bright enough to see clearly.They were travelling north towards the plough very fast

Then after about 6 seconds just disappeared sent shivers down my spine weird

Your not thinking what im thinking are you no it couldnt be could it :grin:

8 wow, thanks for sharing that story. Do remember what day that was & maybe the time?

Yeah I'm think what your thinking, highly improbable but can't totally rule it out lol.

[glowjet]

8 wow, thanks for sharing that story. Do remember what day that was & maybe the time?

Yeah I'm think what your thinking, highly improbable but can't totally rule it out lol.

This is just a bit like Occam`s Razor when you have exhausted all possibilities of what you think you have seen, the simplest answer is often correct, but there again, it is difficult to accept such a highly improbable solution, but it can`t be disregarded, so in the end, has to be pigeon-holed as the unexplained

[andyman]

8 wow, thanks for sharing that story. Do remember what day that was & maybe the time?

Yeah I'm think what your thinking, highly improbable but can't totally rule it out lol.

I will never forget that night it was 6th of may about 11 30 hercules was in the east back then

[MYLUCKYSTARS]

I will never forget that night it was 6th of may about 11 30 hercules was in the east back then

Did they look like they where in formation? If so how would you describe it?

Looking on Stellarium there did seem to be some Breeze-M Debris going through Hercules around that time it & was going through all night seems like there Breeze-M Debris goes by every few minutes all the time but I'm not sure they appear very formation like. It appears they where coming from almost due south & setting in nearly due north.

[cassiewoofer]

fascinating thread this.... and so nice to see a conclusion/explanation.

That wx satuser looks very interesting.

[andyman]

Did they look like they where in formation? If so how would you describe it?

Looking on Stellarium there did seem to be some Breeze-M Debris going through Hercules around that time it & was going through all night seems like there Breeze-M Debris goes by every few minutes all the time but I'm not sure they appear very formation like. It appears they where coming from almost due south & setting in nearly due north.

They were all in a line with equal spacing between each light thats what made it more weird

[Watchman]

Remember, it isn't stupid to claim to see something you don't understand, it isn't crazy to say UFO, remember it means unidentified flying object, it does not mean alien spaceship... If you see something in the sky that you can not identify, it is a UFO until identified. Lots of very rational explanations and this is a community with A REAL LOT of experiece looking into space so chances are someone here will eventually be able to identify it. Interesting read anyway, I didn't know anything about satellites that fly in formation, it'd be nice to see.