UFO? A Lucky Catch Though!

[Paul M]

Military aircraft often fly at very high altitude, are often relatively small and occasionally have their own take on navigational lighting!

Typhoon aircraft often (most days) carry out avionics and systems test flights just off shore from here at varying altitude and speed. A bit of a noise nuisance actually!

They pass overhead quite low sometimes in the low level route to/from Warton and just this very evening one was circling and tightly banking overhead. I could clearly see a single white anti collision strobe below the tail but no other lighting. No red/green nav lights were visible even at relatively close quarters.

[starman1969]

Where I live in Blackpool seems to be right under a major air corridor according to FlightRadar24, but I get jet trails on my images wherever I may be in the world.

[Paul M]

Where I live in Blackpool seems to be right under a major air corridor according to FlightRadar24, but I get jet trails on my images wherever I may be in the world.

Great isn't it? 

Well it is for me a onetime plane spotter

I'm just up the road inland of Cleveleys.

We live under one of the main airways that link European airspace to the North Atlantic Track's. That's an awful lot of big planes passing over every day!

[ArcticCircle]

I think its pretty much been answered as aircraft lights. I cant think of anything that would give such a perfect pattern?

If you have ever seen a tumbling sattellite (I have), you will see it gives a perfect pattern as its rate of rotation is constant.

The sattelite I once saw was clearly rotating as the 'flashing' wasn't abrupt. Rather, it smoothly and quickly brightened and dimmed as more/less of the reflective surface pointed towards me during the objects rotation.  I dare say other tumbling objects may show differenct styles and pattens of flashing depending on their construction and reflective surfaces.

I suggest the easy way to tell the difference between an aircraft or tubmbling sattelite is if the sattellite moves in a clear arc or rises and sets.

[Superdavo]

Thanks for replying so much! I knew I'd be rational (and possibly a plane - many seem to flash at a similar frequency), the brightness was higher than any other plane I'd seen before

David