Prolly OT bright object in sky

Today I saw what I first thought was a daylight flare, but it didn't go
away.

It was about 10-50 to 11-05 am, near Billericay (halfway between Chelmsford
and Basildon, Essex, and appeared to be 60 - 70 deg high, and moved
Eastward during the time I observed it about 45 deg.

It was very bright, but varying, and looked way high an impression icreased
by extreme steadiness of movement.

My guess would be a balloon, but are there any round the world attempts
etc, going on.

I hope you sky watchers can help satisfy my curiousity even tho it
certainly wasn't a star..., BTW others saw it too, but we were not at home
and couldn't get bins or anything on it.

Mike R

Mike Ring wrote in message . 252.50...
Today I saw what I first thought was a daylight flare, but it didn't go
away.

It was about 10-50 to 11-05 am, near Billericay (halfway between Chelmsford
and Basildon, Essex, and appeared to be 60 - 70 deg high, and moved
Eastward during the time I observed it about 45 deg.

It was very bright, but varying, and looked way high an impression icreased
by extreme steadiness of movement.

My guess would be a balloon, but are there any round the world attempts
etc, going on.

I hope you sky watchers can help satisfy my curiousity even tho it
certainly wasn't a star..., BTW others saw it too, but we were not at home
and couldn't get bins or anything on it.

Mike R

Metallized weather balloon? I saw a small one crossing low across
town once. I was quite convinced it was a UFO.g As it was going
against the prevailing wind direction. Being a couple of miles away I
couldn't be sure even through my appalling cheapo Dixons bins. I
finally decided it was attached to a vehicle using the main road. Who
knows? I never read anything in the local paper that night or heard
anything on the local TV news.
It doesn't take a very large reflective object to shine quite
brightly. Even seagulls can 'flash' against a dark cloud or even deep
blue sky. But not for any length of time. Small (well polished)
aeroplane flying high enough not to be visible? Any satellites visible
during the daytime?

Chris.B

Mike Ring wrote in message . 252.50...
Today I saw what I first thought was a daylight flare, but it didn't go
away.

It was about 10-50 to 11-05 am, near Billericay (halfway between Chelmsford
and Basildon, Essex, and appeared to be 60 - 70 deg high, and moved
Eastward during the time I observed it about 45 deg.

It was very bright, but varying, and looked way high an impression icreased
by extreme steadiness of movement.

My guess would be a balloon, but are there any round the world attempts
etc, going on.

I hope you sky watchers can help satisfy my curiousity even tho it
certainly wasn't a star..., BTW others saw it too, but we were not at home
and couldn't get bins or anything on it.

Mike R

Metallized weather balloon? I saw a small one crossing low across
town once. I was quite convinced it was a UFO.g As it was going
against the prevailing wind direction. Being a couple of miles away I
couldn't be sure even through my appalling cheapo Dixons bins. I
finally decided it was attached to a vehicle using the main road. Who
knows? I never read anything in the local paper that night or heard
anything on the local TV news.
It doesn't take a very large reflective object to shine quite
brightly. Even seagulls can 'flash' against a dark cloud or even deep
blue sky. But not for any length of time. Small (well polished)
aeroplane flying high enough not to be visible? Any satellites visible
during the daytime?

Chris.B

(Chris.B) wrote in
om:
Hello Chris
Metallized weather balloon? I saw a small one crossing low across
town once. I was quite convinced it was a UFO.g As it was going
against the prevailing wind direction.

My impresson is that it was way above the many jumbos in our skies, the
high overflying ones, not the local Heathrow jobbies.
It doesn't take a very large reflective object to shine quite
brightly. Even seagulls can 'flash' against a dark cloud or even deep
blue sky. But not for any length of time.

Any satellites visible during the daytime?

It was much "slower" than a satellite, and I think only iridium flares may
be visible - what I first thought it was, but going by -5 type flares at
night I think it was *much* brighter

I havew been told the jetstream goes East, so still perhaps a balloon, bur
a big mutha; or else a kid's silver helium!

Mike R

(Chris.B) wrote in
om:
Hello Chris
Metallized weather balloon? I saw a small one crossing low across
town once. I was quite convinced it was a UFO.g As it was going
against the prevailing wind direction.

My impresson is that it was way above the many jumbos in our skies, the
high overflying ones, not the local Heathrow jobbies.
It doesn't take a very large reflective object to shine quite
brightly. Even seagulls can 'flash' against a dark cloud or even deep
blue sky. But not for any length of time.

Any satellites visible during the daytime?

It was much "slower" than a satellite, and I think only iridium flares may
be visible - what I first thought it was, but going by -5 type flares at
night I think it was *much* brighter

I havew been told the jetstream goes East, so still perhaps a balloon, bur
a big mutha; or else a kid's silver helium!

Mike R

Mike Ring wrote in message . 252.50...
(Chris.B) wrote in
om:
Hello Chris
Metallized weather balloon? I saw a small one crossing low across
town once. I was quite convinced it was a UFO.g As it was going
against the prevailing wind direction.

My impresson is that it was way above the many jumbos in our skies, the
high overflying ones, not the local Heathrow jobbies.
It doesn't take a very large reflective object to shine quite
brightly. Even seagulls can 'flash' against a dark cloud or even deep
blue sky. But not for any length of time.

Any satellites visible during the daytime?

It was much "slower" than a satellite, and I think only iridium flares may
be visible - what I first thought it was, but going by -5 type flares at
night I think it was *much* brighter

I have been told the jetstream goes East, so still perhaps a balloon, bur
a big mutha; or else a kid's silver helium!

Mike R

It might be worth flying a kite on Google sci.geo.met. to see if they
can sort out whether it might be a balloon or not. They probably spend
a lot more time looking up than we do.
From personal experience heights are almost impossible to judge
without some reference point. Having flown kites in tandem to several
thousand metres in my youth. I can well remember lines disappearing
into nothing in the clear blue sky. A shiny object catching the sun
would be visible a great deal further away. Or at a much greater
height.
Trying to judge vertical scale even in the mountains is also
impossible unless a climber is actually visible. The human being is
probably not a good judge of height because it is rarely necessary for
survival.
Even with a telecope or binoculars aeroplanes always seem tiny when
leaving vapour trails. My wife and I were watching a pretty blue
passenger jet only the other night when cloud covered the Moon and we
needed something else to look at. It was still tiny even at 100x.
Though easily visible in the 10x50s.
Yours was an interesting observation. I like mysteries. Having seen
some odd things myself over the years.

Chris.B

Mike Ring wrote in message . 252.50...
(Chris.B) wrote in
om:
Hello Chris
Metallized weather balloon? I saw a small one crossing low across
town once. I was quite convinced it was a UFO.g As it was going
against the prevailing wind direction.

My impresson is that it was way above the many jumbos in our skies, the
high overflying ones, not the local Heathrow jobbies.
It doesn't take a very large reflective object to shine quite
brightly. Even seagulls can 'flash' against a dark cloud or even deep
blue sky. But not for any length of time.

Any satellites visible during the daytime?

It was much "slower" than a satellite, and I think only iridium flares may
be visible - what I first thought it was, but going by -5 type flares at
night I think it was *much* brighter

I have been told the jetstream goes East, so still perhaps a balloon, bur
a big mutha; or else a kid's silver helium!

Mike R

It might be worth flying a kite on Google sci.geo.met. to see if they
can sort out whether it might be a balloon or not. They probably spend
a lot more time looking up than we do.
From personal experience heights are almost impossible to judge
without some reference point. Having flown kites in tandem to several
thousand metres in my youth. I can well remember lines disappearing
into nothing in the clear blue sky. A shiny object catching the sun
would be visible a great deal further away. Or at a much greater
height.
Trying to judge vertical scale even in the mountains is also
impossible unless a climber is actually visible. The human being is
probably not a good judge of height because it is rarely necessary for
survival.
Even with a telecope or binoculars aeroplanes always seem tiny when
leaving vapour trails. My wife and I were watching a pretty blue
passenger jet only the other night when cloud covered the Moon and we
needed something else to look at. It was still tiny even at 100x.
Though easily visible in the 10x50s.
Yours was an interesting observation. I like mysteries. Having seen
some odd things myself over the years.

Chris.B