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Unknown Sighting 2007/10/24 - Any Suggestions?



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 24th 07, 03:26 PM posted to sci.astro.satellites.visual-observe
Clayton Rumley
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Posts: 1
Default Unknown Sighting 2007/10/24 - Any Suggestions?

Hello All,

At approximately 08:30 (Central Daylight Time) I was looking at the
contrails of several jets in the sky when I noticed a bright point of light,
azimuth east, altitude approximately 80 degrees. I'm too much of an amateur
to speculate on the magnitude but it was pretty bright.

My location at the time was very close to Latitude: 49.916436°,
Longitude: -97.209432°.

It appeared to be stationary (or very slow-moving) and as I was on a bus at
the time I only had about 3 or 4 minutes to watch it before the bus turned
and I could no longer see it. My bus dropped me off about 2 minutes later,
but by then I could no longer see it. The sun had already started to rise,
but clouds in the eastern sky were obscuring it. There were no other stars
visible in the sky. During the sighting it may have grown dimmer.

I've seen Iridium flares, and the lack of mobility and the duration of the
sighting leads me to believe I witnessed a planet (maybe Venus?) or a
stationary satellite, but I was unable to determine what it was on Heaven's
Above.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

Clayton


  #2  
Old October 25th 07, 10:16 AM posted to sci.astro.satellites.visual-observe
DougD
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Posts: 19
Default Unknown Sighting 2007/10/24 - Any Suggestions?

In article , "Clayton Rumley" wrote:
Hello All,

At approximately 08:30 (Central Daylight Time) I was looking at the
contrails of several jets in the sky when I noticed a bright point of light,
azimuth east, altitude approximately 80 degrees. I'm too much of an amateur
to speculate on the magnitude but it was pretty bright.

My location at the time was very close to Latitude: 49.916436°,
Longitude: -97.209432°.

It appeared to be stationary (or very slow-moving) and as I was on a bus at
the time I only had about 3 or 4 minutes to watch it before the bus turned
and I could no longer see it. My bus dropped me off about 2 minutes later,
but by then I could no longer see it. The sun had already started to rise,
but clouds in the eastern sky were obscuring it. There were no other stars
visible in the sky. During the sighting it may have grown dimmer.

I've seen Iridium flares, and the lack of mobility and the duration of the
sighting leads me to believe I witnessed a planet (maybe Venus?) or a
stationary satellite, but I was unable to determine what it was on Heaven's
Above.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

Clayton

I thinks that's what you saw, I was struck by how unusually bright Venus
was here at my location on Vancouver Island. I think it may have been the
brightest I have ever seen it, so much so that I stumbled out onto the very
cold deck at 6am with the binoc's to try and confirm it wasn't landing lights.
It was further SE than where I usually see it, and along a flight line for us,
so it did look as bright as landing lights at a 1000ft approach. At the time
that I noticed it, it was at about 30 deg. alt., around 130deg SE, and
sank below our treeline in only about 8 minutes. And I did confirm that
it was Venus using Heaven's Above. Mar's was also out and about 20
deg. above Venus, but very dim. I'll have to look again this morning if
the weather holds. Sadly, the ISS and space shuttle is not in our area
except for the last few days of this mission, I got spoiled for the last two
where it was direct overhead every evening, and low in the west for the
late orbit of the night.. I'm always amazed to look up there and notice
two distinct objects flying by, very, very fast!!!

d.

  #3  
Old October 26th 07, 11:54 PM posted to sci.astro.satellites.visual-observe
Daniel Minge
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default Unknown Sighting 2007/10/24 - Any Suggestions?

On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 09:16:42 GMT, (DougD) wrote:

In article , "Clayton Rumley" wrote:
Hello All,

At approximately 08:30 (Central Daylight Time) I was looking at the
contrails of several jets in the sky when I noticed a bright point of light,
azimuth east, altitude approximately 80 degrees. I'm too much of an amateur
to speculate on the magnitude but it was pretty bright.

My location at the time was very close to Latitude: 49.916436°,
Longitude: -97.209432°.

It appeared to be stationary (or very slow-moving) and as I was on a bus at
the time I only had about 3 or 4 minutes to watch it before the bus turned
and I could no longer see it. My bus dropped me off about 2 minutes later,
but by then I could no longer see it. The sun had already started to rise,
but clouds in the eastern sky were obscuring it. There were no other stars
visible in the sky. During the sighting it may have grown dimmer.

I've seen Iridium flares, and the lack of mobility and the duration of the
sighting leads me to believe I witnessed a planet (maybe Venus?) or a
stationary satellite, but I was unable to determine what it was on Heaven's
Above.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

Clayton

I thinks that's what you saw, I was struck by how unusually bright Venus
was here at my location on Vancouver Island. I think it may have been the
brightest I have ever seen it, so much so that I stumbled out onto the very
cold deck at 6am with the binoc's to try and confirm it wasn't landing lights.
It was further SE than where I usually see it, and along a flight line for us,
so it did look as bright as landing lights at a 1000ft approach. At the time
that I noticed it, it was at about 30 deg. alt., around 130deg SE, and
sank below our treeline in only about 8 minutes. And I did confirm that
it was Venus using Heaven's Above. Mar's was also out and about 20
deg. above Venus, but very dim. I'll have to look again this morning if
the weather holds. Sadly, the ISS and space shuttle is not in our area
except for the last few days of this mission, I got spoiled for the last two
where it was direct overhead every evening, and low in the west for the
late orbit of the night.. I'm always amazed to look up there and notice
two distinct objects flying by, very, very fast!!!


Venus is so bright that it is visible during daylight, providing
you know where to look for it.

In unpopulated/desert areas it is capable of casting a shadow.

Minge
 




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