Multiple bright satellites on same track?

[PlutoIce]

Hi all

First post here. I'm trying to identify the satellite-like objects I saw last night (Sat 30th Jan) at 7pm (+-10 mins) GMT direct overhead the Skelmersdale/Wigan area, heading approximately ESE towards South Manchester / Manchester Airport. Each object was very much ISS like in size (point-like, not resolvable), brightness (notably brighter than any star), with steady satellite-like motion, constant light (not flashing), no sound and no visible trail. The key differences between the objects I saw and a single ISS pass were as follows:

Marked amber colour. This was the most notable thing I saw at first. I wondered if they could be catching the setting sun on orbit, as I doubt anything would have such a pronounced natural colour. Also, they all disappeared at around the same point, perhaps heading into sunset (or behind high cloud?).

Brightness. I'm not sure how bright they were compared to the ISS. Certainly in the same ballpark I think, possibly brighter and immediately prominent in the sky AND with multiple objects visible. With certainty way brighter than any normal satellite pass.

Six or seven (maybe more) individual objects in a 'train', heading along the same path, separated by perhaps twenty or thirty seconds, such that at most three or four of the objects were visible simultaneously (between popping out from behind the house overhead to disappearing at perhaps 20 to 30 degrees of elevation). One of the objects was off-line, heading in the same direction but displaced laterally, causing three of the objects to make a triangle when visible together.

This separation is similar to the time I saw a pass of the ISS followed by the shuttle during catch-up rendevous (I'd guess a few hundred miles of actual separation between the two).

So... what did I see? What accounts for the colour, brightness and most of all the multiplicity of these objects on almost exactly the same track. I've never been aware of satellites, rocket debris or similar being separated to give six or seven discret, ISS brightness objects visible over that length of track. But I'm not well up on these things. Heavens Above didn't have anything remotely promising for last night. Any ideas?

Ta

Andrew

[yeti monster]

So, these OBJECTS were FLYING and they are UNIDENTIFED? Sorry, can't help.......

[brianb]

Chinese sky lanterns (again). Orange, and drifting in the same direction as the wind, is a dead giveaway.

[PlutoIce]

Ahhhhhhh. Thanks for that. Hadn't really thought of wind direction. They just happened to be travelling at the right speed and height to look like bright satellites so I just didn't think of anything low down. Makes absolute sense now. Ta!