Yet ANOTHER strange light in the sky.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I was coming home tonight with a couple of friends at about 21:10 when i noticed a VERY bright large white light in the sky. It was traveling roughly from SE to NW. It was traveling at such a speed that i have never seen any object travel at before. It remained in view for a good 10s. It traveled from the SE horizon right across the sky and vanished over the NW horizon.

My first thought was that it was the ISS, but i checked Heavens-above and the ISS was somewhere over the Indian Ocean at the time.

There was NO sound from this light nor was there any flashing green and red lights associated aircraft.

It was NOT a Chinese lantern......(the colour was pure white).........I have seen so many of those to know it wasnt one of those.

My friends saw it also but they are not stargazers.

This sighting really has me stumped.

Basically the white light i saw was as big and bright as Jupiter was to the east at the same time.

Any ideas?

[perrin6]

Earth-grazing meteor ?

Did it vary in brightness?

[LukeSkywatcher]

The brightness did not vary. It was a constant brightness for the duration.

It traveled in the one direction at the same speed (very blumming fast) from one direction to the other.

I was convinced it was the ISS but have found out that it was not. It was going too fast compared to any pass i have ever seen of the ISS. .................maybe twice as fast.

Maybe it was a hunk of space junk re-entering but not yet burning up?

[perrin6]

Maybe it was a hunk of space junk re-entering but not yet burning up?

Yikes ! - must remember to take my umbrella with me when I go out tomorrow morning. How I wish it was space aliens coming to save us from global warming and to abduct some bankers for rectal examination etc.

Alan

[Starblazer]

Wasn't the soyuz was it?

[garyscott]

......and to abduct some bankers for rectal examination etc.

Alan

Lol...Just Bankers??

[Vega]

Orionid? Slow Sporadic meteor?

[Talitha]

Maybe it was a hunk of space junk re-entering but not yet burning up?

Very possible.

A websearch on 'orbital debris' or 'space junk' will show how much garbage is floating around out there.

What goes up must (eventually) come down.

[Worzsel]

I saw something just like this a couple of months ago. Looked like the iss but brighter, like a continuous iridium flare travelling the whole sky. I cant estimate brigntness very well as a beginner but it was as bright or brihter than a mag-7 flare I've seen.

It was fast too and traveling NW SE.

Heavens above knew nothing.

[chiltonstar]

Did it vanish at the horizon or above it? If it was visible from one horizon to the other and it was 21.00 (ie well after dusk), it must have been emitting light. If it vanished above the horizon (like the ISS when it enters Earth's shadow) then it would have been reflecting light, eg satellite, seriously large debris such as a lost panel, or I suppose a UFO!

Chris:icon_eek:

[LukeSkywatcher]

I just found this online:

Irish astronomy group investigating after 'explosion in the sky'

Nice to know i am not going mad and i actually did see something. I didnt see any explosion though because the object went behind some houses to my W/NW.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Haha i just noticed the date on that article. Funny though how i saw something on thursday night at 9pm and the story i posted also has an object seen on a thursday at 9pm.

I'm gonna go with it being a satellite (biggest and brightest i have ever seen).Its "flight" looked controlled.

[Earl]

I have had corner of my eye very bright meteors and satellites. The ISS was awesome.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Imagine Jupiter traveling across the sky about twice the speed of the ISS and that is what i saw. The ISS travels at a speed of about 17,000 Kph (Mph?). So this object was going at about 34,000..............

Seriously................WHAT travels that fast?

It lasted too long to be a meteor (although i have seen those last about 5s). Its brightness and speed was constant.

Ive seen dozens of satellites and they were ALL much smaller and fainter.

It was pretty dark at 9pm but maybe just maybe the sun was at the perfect angle to illuminate this object?

[matt c]

I suppose as time goes by "space junk" will become a problem for future space missions, I bet even the smallest piece of metal (bolt or whatever) would cause massive damage.

[LukeSkywatcher]

What i saw was a BIT bigger then a simple nut or bolt.

Seriously this thing was HUGE.