There's a curious thing...

[Tomjo59]

Out observing for several hours last night, lovely clear night in south Wiltshire.

Had just put the scope away, and glanced up at the sky one last time before retiring, when I noticed what appeared to be a bright star to the south-east of Regulus in Leo.

This was at 00:55, U.T.

Now this object appeared EXACTLY like a white first magnitude star, brighter than Regulus, and a bit brighter than Spica, so I would estimate about 0, similar to Vega, which was rising in the NE.

It remained completely motionless, and as I watched, it slowly faded to invisibility over a period of about 30 seconds. If it had been moving, I would have assumed it was an Iridium satellite.

I would estimate that it was at position 11h 0m RA,  +07 Dec.

I don't recall seeing anything quite like it before, and wondered if anybody else has seen it, or could suggest what it might have been?

 

 

[Ruud]

Maybe it was sunlight reflecting off a very high orbit satellite? 

[LukeSkywatcher]

Could have been a geo-stationary satellite.

[carastro]

I have had bright lights looking stationery in the sky, which eventually turned out to be a plane which had been coming at me face on so did not appear to move.  Then I looked again and it had gone, probably because it had turned.  

 

Carole

[LukeSkywatcher]

1 minute ago, carastro said:

I have had bright lights looking stationery in the sky, which eventually turned out to be a plane which had been coming at me face on so did not appear to move.  Then I looked again and it had gone, probably because it had turned.  

 

Carole

Good thinking. Ive been caught out a few times with this myself. 

[Tomjo59]

12 minutes ago, carastro said:

I have had bright lights looking stationery in the sky, which eventually turned out to be a plane which had been coming at me face on so did not appear to move.  Then I looked again and it had gone, probably because it had turned.  

 

Carole

That sounds like the most likely explanation Carole.  I have seen what you describe before, but usually once the plane has turned one can see the red or green navigation lights. Could have been at extremely high altitude, I suppose.

Just for a few fleeting seconds, I thought I might have been the first to observe a new supernova!

 

[carastro]

Quote

Could have been at extremely high altitude, I suppose.

Yes that's what I was thinking.  If it had been lower a) You would have seen the flashing lights. b ) it would have appeared much brighter than you describe.

Carole 

[Azelfafage]

Saw a moving point of light (moving NW - SE) about 19.45 yesterday evening in Auriga - whatever it was, definitely not an aircraft.

[Thalestris24]

I get a lot of (police and other ) helicopters here in Glasgow. Their lights often look like a Jupiter or Sirius or something from the x-files... But, alas, they always have turned out to be the aforementioned rather mundane things. Well, so far...

Louise