What did I see?

[paulhereford]

Good evening,

Shortly after moving my scope outside at around 7.30pm this evening, I spotted a very bright orange object travelling from East to West in the finderscope whilst viewing polaris. The object was not visible to the naked eye. This sighting was a real fluke.

Does anyone have any idea what it was that I saw?

[cdlftw]

Satelitte or meteorite would be my guess?

[orions-knight]

I bet it was a chinese lantern. They are quite popular and move eerily across the sky at quite some altitude. They are great to watch but there are issues with the remains falling from the sky at some point. However, I have one that needs to be launched pretty soon. So watch out.

OK

[Capricorn]

Read this the first day it was posted and went looking up satellites. Couldn't get any thing out of heavens-above and tried a NASA site. Again could not get anything out of that.

Hoping to get a path of a satellite that coincided with the time you said. Unfortunately I was expected to supply the name of the satellite to get the path, I wanted the path then be told the satellite.

From the description I would say a satellite. Have seen a few when stood outside with binoculars. Your description matches.

There are LOTS of the things going round up there so expect to come across more as time goes on.

[paulhereford]

Thank you very much for your responses, much appreciated.....yes you are right when you say that there is alot going on in our skies Capricorn. I have seen satelites before but this was nothing like anything i have seen before....plus there was no discernable trail either. I am fairly certain it wasn't a chinese lantern Orion but I could be wrong.

[orions-knight]

For a minute, think of what you saw and would/could you say how high in the sky it was? Was it below cloud high ie. above roof tops or was it sky high, high enough to be a satellite? As I said, I bet you what you saw was a chinese lantern in the distance. They are large items and a very bright orange.

OK

[pbyrne]

From the Chinese lanterns that I've seen they are easily visible to the naked eye, to be so high as to be visible only through the finder I would think that they would be too high to have enough oxygen to stay lit.

I'm going to say that it was a satellite, perhaps the Hare Krishnas have launched one, hence the orange colour.

[Capricorn]

For a minute, think of what you saw and would/could you say how high in the sky it was? Was it below cloud high.

If he was observing polaris and that general area as he says, and it was through clouds, then I want the same scope that he has.:D:D

No more problems with cloudy skies.

[orions-knight]

Taking into account he was looking at Polaris, then I think I must stand corrected. Really think I over looked the point that observing mid to high altitude celestial objects would also mean that something to be not seen with the naked eye could only be of high altitude, ruling out the possibility of an oxygen burning lantern. So yes, a satellite it could have been. Or a UFO.

OK

[paulhereford]

Hello again folks....many thanks for your input on this but the mystery grows........last night....6th March.....whilst viewing polaris and cassiopeia again I sighted a fast moving white like star object in the finderscope at 7.20pm moving through cassiopeia in a west to east direction and again a similar fast moving white star like object at 9.20pm again through the finderscope moving north to south through polaris. Both times I couldn't see the object with the naked eye??????? Both sightings were random as I quite literally positioned the scope and looked through the finderscope to find my intended targets and there were the moving objects. Am I correct in thinking that satellites are visible to the naked eye on clear nights?

[paulhereford]

If he was observing polaris and that general area as he says, and it was through clouds, then I want the same scope that he has.:D:D

No more problems with cloudy skies.:hello2:

Where did I mention clouds?

[glowjet]

Hi Paul,

The answer to your question is yes, have a look at " Heavens Above " Chris Peat`s web site there is lots of info on satellites, the ISS and iridium flares, the latter are fantastic, if you have the flare path center on your doorstep, however, if you see a star point object traveling on a straight path then suddenly change direction by 45 degrees and shoot off at high at high speed its a UFO, I once saw two together which diverged in opposite directions and disappeared at high speed, remember the truth is out there.

John

[FraserClarke]

Am I correct in thinking that satellites are visible to the naked eye on clear nights?

Depends on the satellite. The vast majority are not visible to the naked eye I would suspect.

You're seeing sunlight reflected off the satellite, so how much light is reflected in your direction depends on satellite size, orientation, position in orbit, your location, etc etc -- lots and lots of variables.

What you describe sounds exactly like a satellite...

[paulhereford]

Thanks for your responses glowjet / teadwarf. The objects may well be satellites but having just checked the heavens above website I think not. Intriguing.

Glowjet - the truth is indeed out there. Have you tried viewing the night sky through a infrared nightsight?

[Peter Drew]

Hello Paul. How much do you want for your finderscope?

[orions-knight]

You can see satellites quite easy with the naked eye and sometimes maybe 3 - 4 on a particular night. even in light polluted skies. Look out for the ISS tonight about 7 pm and 8.30 pm. Thats really bright. Check Heavens Above for your observing point.

OK

[glowjet]

Sorry Paul never used an infrared night site as I do not have one.

John.

[paulhereford]

Hello Peter ...... its not the finderscope you need but also the drugs to go with it

[paulhereford]

Thanks Orions......will do.

[FraserClarke]

The objects may well be satellites but having just checked the heavens above website I think not. Intriguing.

There are quite a few satellites they don't want you (or anyone else) to know about... And when you start asking where the satellites are ('cos you don't want to hit one with a laser), they'll tell you, but add in fake ones so you can't work out the patterns...

[yeti monster]

There's a fair amount of space junk up there too remember.

I spotted quite a few as I was hunting fuzzies, one of which I could be reasonably sure of being Lacrosse 2 (spotted twice on consecutive nights!).

There was another one which, if I identified it correctly, was launched in 1978 and is a marine observation satellite (still functioning?) but I cannot remember the name (notes at home on PC).

It's great to have these things pass through the FOV and try to track them, the Dob is good for that, providing I push in the correct direction, once they are lost, they are LOST!

[orions-knight]

There's a fair amount of space junk up there too remember.

I spotted quite a few as I was hunting fuzzies, one of which I could be reasonably sure of being Lacrosse 2 (spotted twice on consecutive nights!).

There was another one which, if I identified it correctly, was launched in 1978 and is a marine observation satellite (still functioning?) but I cannot remember the name (notes at home on PC).

It's great to have these things pass through the FOV and try to track them, the Dob is good for that, providing I push in the correct direction, once they are lost, they are LOST!

Satellite chasing sounds like a fascinating side line to observing the natural celestial sphere. I caught a brief glimpse of the ISS on both occasions last night but when you stop and think of the satellites that have been launched from the early days of Sputnik, their construction and there intended purposes, you can quite easily see how this could reward as I'm sure it does, another interesting aspect of astronomy.

OK