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What did I see?

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  • 23-09-2009 9:53pm
    #1
    rockmongrel
    Registered Users Posts: 644 ✭✭✭


    Hey all.
    Having no experience in astronomy I have no idea what I just saw, so thought this the best place to go :P
    About ten minutes ago, walking home from the bus stop in Templeogue Village on the southside of Dublin, 21:40 or so, I saw something in the sky. It was a fiery orange and flickering and almost certainly outside of the atmosphere. Now usually I'd put this down to see a planet or something else. But what really shocked me was the speed at which it was travelling, far faster than any plane/jet/anything I've ever seen in the sky move. So what did I see does anyone know? Meteor? Shooting star? Satellite?

    Just so its known, I'm quite a sceptic so am in no way insinuating some form of E.T. :pac:


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    #2
    jumpguy
    Registered Users Posts: 7,962 ✭✭✭jumpguy


    Lacross 5 (US spy satellite) made a pass pretty much at that time. It wasn't very bright (not close to the ISS), but sometimes Lacrosse 5 looks abit orangey.

    Could've been another Chinese lantern, but it's speed would be unusual. It'd also be a big enough coincidence if it was a satellite pass just at that time.


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    #3
    calchas
    Registered Users Posts: 79 ✭✭calchas


    What you describe could be a bolide. A meteor burning up in the upper atmosphere. They can be pretty spectacular.


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    #4
    rockmongrel
    Registered Users Posts: 644 ✭✭✭rockmongrel


    Hmmm, from pictures in see on Google images, the colour was far more intense than that of the Lacrosse ones, much more orange, and it certainly didn't look like a bolide :P


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    #5
    jumpguy
    Registered Users Posts: 7,962 ✭✭✭jumpguy


    Really? Lacrosse 5 can be pretty orange. The other Lacrosse's appear more the conventional white.
    http://www.tracking-station.de/images/lacrosse/2006-07/lac5-06-07-25lr.jpg
    That shows the orangeyness, you can see it especially towards the end of the pass.


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    #6
    rockmongrel
    Registered Users Posts: 644 ✭✭✭rockmongrel


    Oh yeah, that looks far more like it now! Thank you very much :D


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    #7
    aten
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2 ✭aten


    Something similar seen by me on Wed 23rd @ 23.54 in Dublin. on a similar trajectory and speed to the ISS, it had an orange glow and looked like as if it was rotating . Am I alone in this observation ?


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    #8
    garser353
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭garser353


    I seen a bright orange light in the sky last night at about 2300 and was moving slowly. looked like something burning.

    Anyone know what it might have been?

    over tallaght in Dublin


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    #9
    dlofnep
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    My father said he saw something bright and orangey in the sky too.. He said it was moving pretty fast. At first I thought it was one of those lanterns, because my friend used to set off a few of them - but he said it was moving quickly so that ruled that out. Must have been that Satellite.


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    #10
    garser353
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭garser353


    dlofnep wrote: »
    My father said he saw something bright and orangey in the sky too.. He said it was moving pretty fast. At first I thought it was one of those lanterns, because my friend used to set off a few of them - but he said it was moving quickly so that ruled that out. Must have been that Satellite.


    Taught the same myself looked like a flare but was way to high to be one so i dont know what it was :confused:


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