So, Did anyone else see it ? 6.08am this morning

[Channel Hopper]

I would hazard a guess it would have been visible to much of the South East of England.


Travelling from WNW to ESE, and taking about three minutes from horizon to horizon.

About the same brightness as Jupiter.

It wasn't the ISS according to the link

_http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?lat=0&lng=0&alt=0&loc=Unspecified&TZ=CET

 

[Huevos]

Jupiter is around -2.5 at the minute. There's no satellites up there that can get that bright apart from ISS and Iridium, and Iridium only gets to that brightness for a few seconds. Also no satellite in an Earth orbit does a horizon to horizon in 3 minutes. The minimum is over 5 minutes.

Another thing, at 6:00am you wouldn't be able to see a full horizon to horizon unless the vehicle were producing its own light, because the sun is too low to illuminate it.

 

[sonnetpete]

In answer to your thread title CH, I was tucked up in bed despite being an hour ahead of the UK. Are you sure it wasn't someone from one of those newly discovered 'Kepler' planets trying to return the Voyager 'gold disc'?

 

[Channel Hopper]

Jupiter is around -2.5 at the minute. There's no satellites up there that can get that bright apart from ISS and Iridium, and Iridium only gets to that brightness for a few seconds. Also no satellite in an Earth orbit does a horizon to horizon in 3 minutes. The minimum is over 5 minutes.

Another thing, at 6:00am you wouldn't be able to see a full horizon to horizon unless the vehicle were producing its own light, because the sun is too low to illuminate it.

I only observed just under half of the orbit as the rest of it was on the other side of the house, so it may have gone into shadow at some point. This was still some 70 seconds though.

And the ISS does reach a magnitude of -2.5 on some passes, the 5th of February being the next bright one, and visible for nearly four and a half minutes

_http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?lat=0&lng=0&alt=0&loc=Unspecified&TZ=CET

 

[Channel Hopper]

In answer to your thread title CH, I was tucked up in bed despite being an hour ahead of the UK. Are you sure it wasn't someone from one of those newly discovered 'Kepler' planets trying to return the Voyager 'gold disc'?

I was also tucked up in bed, but had the curtains drawn, the light from this thing actually woke me up (as opposed to the probing ).

 

[Analoguesat]

There was an ISS pass at 0611 this morning and up here its down for a -2.4mag pass 0611-0615. And thats a BRIGHT pass!



ISS -2.4 06:11:40 32° SW 06:12:21 37° S 06:15:24 10° ESE

 

[Lazarus]

Well, I watch Red Dwarf as often as possible and can say without a shadow of a doubt that what you saw was Grit.


And then there's this _http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16756450


It's kinda busy oop there right now.

 

[Analoguesat]

I love seeing the bright Iridium flares - the -8 mag ones are really spectacular

 

[Vipersan]

Odd things seen in the firmament just lately ..
I had my own odd encounter on a clear night a few days ago..
Wish I'd seen this one though ...but being wide awake at that time in a morning ..just would have been no help ..
Thick black cloud , overcast and raining for the whole day here ..
btw ..Its nice to learn a new thing each day......and today ...I've learned tere are 2 x 6 oclocks in each 24 hours ..

scary thought..
rgds
VS

 

[Topper]

It has just been announced on BBC Radio Lancashire 4.00pm news that there was the closest pass of an asteroid 2012xxx, (missed the designation) it was reportedly the size of a double decker bus, did anyone see martians on the top deck?

 

[Analoguesat]

It has just been announced on BBC Radio Lancashire 4.00pm news that there was the closest pass of an asteroid 2012xxx, (missed the designation) it was reportedly the size of a double decker bus, did anyone see martians on the top deck?

2012BX34

-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16756450

 

[Topper]

Lol yes I saw your post a second after I posted mine

 

[Huevos]

CH, you are not putting in your location on heavens-above so the links you are posting are for 0º lat and 0º lon.

 

[Channel Hopper]

There was an ISS pass at 0611 this morning and up here its down for a -2.4mag pass 0611-0615. And thats a BRIGHT pass!

That would have been it then.

Shows my alarm clock is three minutes out.

 

[Channel Hopper]

CH, you are not putting in your location on heavens-above so the links you are posting are for 0º lat and 0º lon.

That requires subscription (which I rarely do) So when is the next bright pass then ?They usually come in threes.

 

[Analoguesat]

Heavens above is a free subscription C-H and is well worth joining if you are interested in astronomical things.

Cant remember exactly where you live so London will do for the ISS passes:


BTW this is the info for your bright pass earlier - a fantastic -3.4

ISS -3.4 06:11:40 33° W 06:12:59 79° S 06:16:15 10° ESE

 

[Channel Hopper]

Thanks

Yes, it was bloody bright

Looking forward to the (second) one on Sunday, it will go straight past the bedroom window again.

 

[Analoguesat]

Im jealous you getting an 80 degree pass - this far north we are lucky to see 30 degrees

 

[Vipersan]

Can anyone tell me if I have even half a chance of seeing anything on the next pass ?

I don't mind hauling my carcass out of my pit in the early hours ..if there is a reason to do so ..
Clear skies are promised today and possibly tonight ..
location ..about 5 miles out of Manchester ..
Also ..where do I need to be looking ..and at what time approx ..
rgds
VS

 

[Analoguesat]

You have a bright pass (-2.8) tomorrow morning VS . It will come out of eclipse at 0554 at an altitude of 44 degrees & and set in the south east 10 degrees above the horizon.

You cant miss the bright passes - its a very bright star travelling reasonably quickly across the sky

It moves across the sky at a similar speed to a distant airliner