Unknown satellite

[access_mdb]

Hi, I hope this is in the correct forum. I haven't been on for some time and have moved since I was last on. Still haven't got a telescope yet. However,  I was out last Thursday (2nd March) and happened to be be looking at Orion, Gemini and Taurus (as one does), when my eye was attracted by a flash. It was quite bright but didn't last long, but a few seconds later there was another one. I could see a faint light after the flash for another second. I assume it was a satellite, but when I tried to find out which one I have drawn a blank. It definitely wasn't an aircraft - no navigation lights and no sound; they also don't flash! I now live in Oxfordshire (a village called Cholsey), and this occurred about 1930. The track was roughly west to east (so it couldn't have been a circumpolar or ISS ). Does anyone know which satellite it was?

[Galen Gilmore]

It was probobly an iridium flare. Iridium flares happen in the same area for a couple of days, so yea it was probobly an iridium flare.

[ronin]

Only 1 Iridium flare for Cholsey on Mar 2 and that was at 18:50 and the satellite was going North to South. Actually think that all the Iridiums all go N > S or S > N. It did flare between Orion and Gemini so about the right area of sky.

Heavens Above only lists iridium flares and brighter satellites (non flaring ones), it does not list "Others flares". For that I think you would need Calsky, and I have never got on well with that site - just never sure if it has taken the supplied location or not.

OK sure it was Thursday and not Friday? Also the time and also were they travelling S to N as well?

Actually doubt you have all of them wrong, but on March 3 at 18:43 then at 18:44 there were 2 flares - not sure how close in the sky.

One was Skymed-2 and the next was Iridium 67, both are given as going S to N.

Any idea if there were any supply rockets going to the ISS then? Mention this as a new nebula appeared once, the supply rocket had vented a load of fuel and suddenly people saw a new nebula where one had not been recorded.

 

[access_mdb]

I can confirm it was Thursday - I was waiting for someone to pick me up and he was 15 minutes late. And the 'satellite' was going west to east - actually a little south of west to a little north of east. I saw that on a website there were two flares but they were the wrong time and wrong direction. I don't know if any satellites travel west to east rather than north to south so that's why I mentioned it. Perhaps it was a supply rocket - I'll have a look to see what I can find on that tomorrow.

Thanks both for your replies.