Bright satellite near Saturn

[Philip Benson]

Hi all,

For possibly a couple of nights now I have seen a bright (-1/-2 mag) satellite heading from N to S passing near to Saturn.  Tonight it appeared sometime between 2200 - 2215.  I looked up towards Saturn while observing through the scope and noticed it on a line which would take it just to the west of Saturn.  Anyone know what I saw?  I am in SE Essex.  It wasn't an Iridium Flare - lasted too long for that.

 

[Knighty2112]

According to Skysafari it could be SL16-RB. 

[Dave In Vermont]

You can download a free software-program to assist you to identify some of those things flying over our heads. In fact, I just did the same thing for a guy in Athens, Greece. So here's the thread and the details on my personal favorite satellite-tracking software:

Funny how often the same question pop's up at the same time in different places in SGL. This place must be haunted!  

Dave

[Tzitzis]

4 hours ago, Dave In Vermont said:

You can download a free software-program to assist you to identify some of those things flying over our heads. In fact, I just did the same thing for a guy in Athens, Greece. So here's the thread and the details on my personal favorite satellite-tracking software:

Funny how often the same question pop's up at the same time in different places in SGL. This place must be haunted!  

Dave

You are making me blush Dave  The thing is I have seen you give this single answer 3-4 times in a period of maybe 1 month hahaha. I just wanted to know how it looks like  

[Dave In Vermont]

I have a 'cut & paste' for giving out Stellarium and it's instructions. I just might construct the same for Previsat.

When it hits 3-times a day, I will!

Have fun -

Dave

[Philip Benson]

Quote

 

On Sunday, June 26, 2016 at 01:15, Knighty2112 said:

According to Skysafari it could be SL16-RB.

It was too bright - at least magnitude -2.

I have run PreviSat for the 2200 - 2230 BST window of time for my location and the brightest satellite pass predicted was TERRA at magnitude +3.3. This was visible to the east of my sighting.

[neil phillips]

Sometimes things show up that are not listed on Stellarium, I saw one recently. Don't think it was a plane. or drone. or balloon. rather confusing. Looked a lot like a satellite But of course even experienced observers can be fooled I guess ?

[Philip Benson]

This is all part of what makes our hobby so fascinating.   You never know what you are going to see and sometimes we do see something which we cannot explain.  At least we don't all jump to the conclusion that it is aliens!

 

[neil phillips]

5 hours ago, Philip Benson said:

This is all part of what makes our hobby so fascinating.   You never know what you are going to see and sometimes we do see something which we cannot explain.  At least we don't all jump to the conclusion that it is aliens!

 

No of course that is stupid. So many have so little experience with the night sky, that its obvious that so many people do jump to conclusions that are clearly unfounded.

We all see that here, so we know that for a fact

Having said that there is indeed some interesting cases, that are much more difficult to explain in conventional terms. Like the captain Lawrence Coyne incident. ( look it up ) There has been a explanation it was a green fireball. But listening to the testimony. Personally I don't think the explanation fits in the slightest ?

 That of course doesn't mean it was Aliens. But clearly some incidents are difficult to explain. What that means I am unsure. But I certainly don't want to debate that. Or sidetrack the thread. here

  Lastly I will say Astronomer Allen Hynek, was certainly no fool, and he also couldn't  explain quite a few incidents he investigated. But lets just leave that there unless someone wants to start up a new thread discussing what these things could or could not mean. I am not doing it lol

But I don't think many here will find that interesting. Especially because of the loony brigade, and our belief systems that are shaped by seeing so many jump to conclusions time and time again. Agreed.

[Dave In Vermont]

Experts who have been trying to identify - notably one group in Canada - have reported that about 60% of the satellites we can see going by are not identified or identifiable. These are 'black-ops' satellites that no one will step-up and say "That's ours! We use it to see how many people are going bald!" Or some such cover-story. Heck! I remember that over 50% of the missions flown on the US Space-Shuttle flights - we were told only that it was going to release a new satellite. What the satellite was for, and by whom, we were simply told it was 'Classified.'

Smile! You're on Candid-Camera!

Dave - or am I? <beep!>

[neil phillips]

1 hour ago, Dave In Vermont said:

Experts who have been trying to identify - notably one group in Canada - have reported that about 60% of the satellites we can see going by are not identified or identifiable. These are 'black-ops' satellites that no one will step-up and say "That's ours! We use it to see how many people are going bald!" Or some such cover-story. Heck! I remember that over 50% of the missions flown on the US Space-Shuttle flights - we were told only that it was going to release a new satellite. What the satellite was for, and by whom, we were simply told it was 'Classified.'

Smile! You're on Candid-Camera!

Dave - or am I? <beep!>

Yes I thought about this Dave and I totally agree. of course this has to be the case, take Nos for example. No one knew about that until astronomers started seeing it. ive seen NOS on numerous occasions in one 6 month period many years ago. I saw it at least 5 or 6 times 3 starlike lights moving satellite speed 

the most perplexing sighting was Four starlike lights satellite looking, Just like NOS. Satellite speed. In 1995, I could swear they divided,  But I don't want to talk more about that.

But for sure Dave there are classified space objects. That just has to be the case. And likely explains all number of unknown sightings