What the heck was that in Usra Major?

[kirkster501]

Two very bright objects - magnitude -2 to -3 - moving very slowly in parallel near the pan handle?  Just 2 minutes ago...

 

[kirkster501]

.. they were stationary for a minute or so as I got out my car.  i thought there'd been a Supernova or soemthing but they then both moved very, very slowly and then dimmed.  My daughter even saw it too.

[Stu]

Nothing showing as flaring but there was an iridium satellite going through at that time, perhaps glared where you are, plus another just coming out of eclipse which might have caught the sun??

[Stu]

4 minutes ago, kirkster501 said:

.. they were stationary for a minute or so as I got out my car.  i thought there'd been a Supernova or soemthing but they then both moved very, very slowly and then dimmed.  My daughter even saw it too.

These satellites were moving so my bet would be helicopters?????

[Charic]

CASSIOPE and IRIDIUM 66 passed through Ursa Major around 2002 according to Stellarium ?

[Charic]

I'd hesitate at a guess, though Stu beat me with his synopsis, but its  quite possible that you have  witnessed an iridium 'flare'.

Some time  back I witnessed a flashing overhead, a few seconds apart, and tried to capture it with the  mobile phone?
Its just noticeable in the video, but never actually found out what it was from my search!

[Paul73]

9 minutes ago, Stu said:

These satellites were moving so my bet would be helicopters?????

Boring! Probably right. But, Boring!!??

I’d vote for Asellus Secundus And Asellus Tirtius both going pop at the same time. Can’t understand why nobody else noticed this momentous event. 

Paul

PS. I’m ashamed to say that I started calculating the probability of just such as event......

 

[kirkster501]

YEs, I have been observing for long enough to have seen lots of those.  The two objects were (or appeared to be) moving together, about 30 arc mins apart, making me flares out. Unless just a coincidence - must be because I am not into UFO's and all that nonsense.

[kirkster501]

21 minutes ago, Stu said:

Nothing showing as flaring but there was an iridium satellite going through at that time, perhaps glared where you are, plus another just coming out of eclipse which might have caught the sun??

Yes, maybe Stu.  Must say though, they were motionless at one point.  Then steadily moved. Been observing for 30 years and never seen that before.

[Paul M]

I spotted a pair of bright lights moving oddly a while back.

Certainly not normal satellite or aircraft behaviour. Maybe helicopters but two of them so close together at night (or any time!) seems unlikely. I've put it down to something like drone activity. I've seen youtube footage posted by a local drone enthusiast. Flying along the coast in late twilight (as I'd seen the lights) so maybe there are lights attached to some of those things. He'd need them for visual sighting if not using the drone's video camera for piloting.  

Like you, I've been watching the sky for 40 odd years and struggle to keep up with the ever increasing man-made aerial phenomena!!