What the heck was that!

[Daniel-K]

Never seen anything like this. Anyone else see that thing traveling across the entire arc of the sky?

[Daniel-K]

[redfox1971]

just saw something heading north looked like a satalite but further away in the distance it got seemed to get like a massive dust cloud around it about size of the full moon,maybe it was a space rocket and its plume?

[Leo S]

I caught it too. Looks like a fuel dump or launch. It was in orbit for sure.

[redfox1971]

maybe it was the falken nine 2hrs ago

[Leo S]

1 minute ago, redfox1971 said:

maybe it was the falken nine 2hrs ago

Could make sense.

[wulfrun]

I saw it too, a bit bigger than the full moon. Slightly W of due N, it had a bight centre and a diffuse ring around it. Just chanced to look up, it looked a bit like the moon might through heavy haze but the bins showed the bright central point.

Edited April 29, 2022 by wulfrun

[redfox1971]

8 minutes ago, wulfrun said:

I saw it too, a bit bigger than the full moon. Slightly W of due N, it had a bight centre and a diffuse ring around it. Just chanced to look up, it looked a bit like the moon might through heavy haze but the bins showed the bright central point.

yep sounds right.

[Gerr]

I think I saw this too. It looked like a large light orb with a diffuse glow around it but this was likely due to the haze that is in the night air on Anglesey. It was slowly drifting due North. No sounds from it - couldn't tell how high it was - one of those candle lanterns????

[Leo S]

1 minute ago, Gerr said:

I think I saw this too. It looked like a large light orb with a diffuse glow around it but this was likely due to the haze that is in the night air on Anglesey. It was slowly drifting due North. No sounds from it - couldn't tell how high it was - one of those candle lanterns????

Too widely observed. This was in orbit for sure. It was almoast directly overhead for me here just south west of Derby city center.

[Gerr]

Just now, Leo S said:

Too widely observed. This was in orbit for sure. It was almoast directly overhead for me here just south west of Derby city center.

Yes - you're quite right. Brain fog here too!!!! It was  high, steadily moving North and had a constant glow. As you say multiple sitings now across a wide geographical area - not a lantern!!! 

[MercianDabbler]

I was packing up from a session photographing M104 and spotted something really odd while I was carrying stuff back indoors.

A hazy orb with a bright centre. Looked a bit like the Moon seen through cloud, maybe a bit smaller but not much... and in completely the wrong time and place. Was almost due North for me probably to the left of Cass so maybe 20 degrees altitude. Time about 00:08. I fetched the bins back out but could not make out any detail. After a minute or so it seemed less bright and in maybe another minute it had faded away completely. I don't know how long it was visible because I probably just caught the end of it.

I did find it quite worrying - the only thing I could think of was a comet but then it faded away so I got on with my packing up.

[Mr Spock]

Yep, I saw it too. A fuzzy point of light surrounded by a large diffuse 'cloud' moving steadily northwards.

Weird...

[Leo S]

Here are a couple of examples of orbital fuel dumps:

 

[Daniel-K]

7 minutes ago, Leo S said:

Here are a couple of examples of orbital fuel dumps:

 

Cheers for that,that first one is what it looked like. We where just packing up on Anglesey as some fog was making anything hard work when I spotted this. Watched it travel till it disappeared. As it got further away the more orb like appearance it took on. 

[Chris]

Hey Dan, I take it you've ruled out the ISS on the second pic? 

[Gfamily]

Someone saw something similar from North Wales; it's suggested it was a rocket fuel dump. 

[Skipper Billy]

SpaceX second stage deorbit burn

When I get home tonight I will isolate the relevant section and slow it down.

 

[OK Apricot]

I was out with a few guys from local group and we saw this, it was pretty spooky, not a sound! 

[Daf1983]

I'm pretty sure I saw this in one of my subs while imaging last night. I'll have a proper look once I've downloaded everything on to my laptop. 

[wulfrun]

I'll be happy to know if anyone can give a definitive answer, I'm intrigued & it was an odd sight. First glance I thought "the moon looks seriously hazy" then a double-take because it couldn't be the moon!

[Skipper Billy]

10 minutes ago, wulfrun said:

I'll be happy to know if anyone can give a definitive answer, I'm intrigued & it was an odd sight. First glance I thought "the moon looks seriously hazy" then a double-take because it couldn't be the moon!

SpaceX second stage deorbit burn

[JeremyS]

Couple of images on BAA website of this SpaceX 2nd stage deorb burn:

https://britastro.org/observations/observation.php?id=20220430_090237_5357f81ca2e10399
 

https://britastro.org/observations/observation.php?id=20220430_095854_3618010f017dab76

 

[IB20]

There was also a Russian Angara rocket deorbit burn too, 

 

[SuburbanMak]

Posted these pics looking NW from Hampshire at 00:09 - first spotted a couple of minutes before.  About half a degree in extent, glowing and setting quite rapidly. (Also noted in “What did you see tonight”).  Also a cut from Russianspaceweb.com - apparently an unknown Russian military satellite launch. Spooky stuff.