What was is I saw - a satellite contrail?!

[osbourne one-nil]

So there I was, aligning my telescope with the Eskimo Nebula when, on looking through the eyepiece, I saw a faint green straight line across the field of view. Then, a few seconds later a satellite (and it was definitely a satellite and not a plane) rushes through on that exact line, and then slowly the line faded away. 

Hmmmmmmm. 

[Ruud]

That's strange.  If a satellite had a contrail you'd expect it behind the satellite, not ahead of it. And since satellites are in free fall and don't need a motor to keep going they don't have contrails.

I'm very curious what could explain your observation.

[osbourne one-nil]

It was almost like a faint laser beam which satellite was travelling along. I made sure at the time that i wasn't imaging it and I was fully dark adapted away from any streetlights at all so it wasn't anything burned into my vision either. Quite odd. 

[AndyWB]

Was the satellite bright? It wouldn't have been a reflection in the eyepiece? I've had that happen with a bright satellite.

[Jimtheslim]

Tim Peak having fun with a laser pen