Bright Orange Light passing over Galway?

quotaj · 13-09-2009 1:46am #1

Hi guys,

We were walking home from town at 9.15ish tonight and noticed a very bright orange light (size of a big star) travelling East to West.

It didn't flash or anything and the colours and brightness were varying a bit which made it look like it was burning! I thought maybe the shuttle re-entering but I see that had already landed. It appeared to fizzle out once it came down to a certain angle. The whole sky was clear around it then too though as I could see stars so it wasn't just clouds. Then we spotted the same thing, passing the same direction about two hours later.

What would it have been? All airplanes flash lights right?

karlog · 13-09-2009 1:57am

Flying chinese lantern perhaps?

quotaj · 13-09-2009 2:06am

You being serious?

Sounds very daft... but I just checked and it was an easterly wind this evening.... hmmm?

refusetolose · 13-09-2009 2:53am

quotaj wrote: »

You being serious?

Sounds very daft... but I just checked and it was an easterly wind this evening.... hmmm?

i think hes serious alright,i also think that hes right...saw the same here in cork a few weeks ago,i reckon they're the new 'fireworks'

jumpguy · 13-09-2009 2:54am

Chinese lanterns are the explanations for all sightings nowadays? When do these lanterns stop?

Anyway, the ISS is visible about that time when it's making a pass...but it'd be heading West to East. Are you sure you're not getting your cardinal points mixed up. It doesn't really match your description though.

gary82 · 13-09-2009 12:22pm

jumpguy wrote: »

Anyway, the ISS is visible about that time when it's making a pass...but it'd be heading West to East. Are you sure you're not getting your cardinal points mixed up. It doesn't really match your description though.

No I saw the ISS at 9.49pm... similar path but opposite direction...

MayoForSam · 13-09-2009 9:11pm

The ISS was plainly visible travelling from west to east last night around 9:15 (it is the size of 2 football pitches after all), orange-whitish colour (reflection from the sun), faded about 3/4 off the way across the sky as it passed into the Earth's shadow.

Don't know what was the other light later on, it most certainly was not the ISS heading the opposite direction!

Rayne · 13-09-2009 11:00pm

I saw an orange light too. At 9.15 (I was passing UCG) and again at about 9.46pm (passing St. Joseph's next to Pres), I presumed it was the ISS. It fizzled out with shadow of earth.
Saw the ISS pass on Friday night and tonight, it was a bright white though.
It was amazing.

Can anyone confirm if the orange light was definitely the ISS?

Stargate · 13-09-2009 11:08pm

MayoForSam wrote: »

Don't know what was the other light later on, it most certainly was not the ISS heading the opposite direction!

tend to agree

gary82 · 14-09-2009 8:30am

Lads it definately wasn't the ISS. I've been keeping an eye on the ISS, even getting a few photos, so know what it looks like and it's path.

Rayne wrote: »

I saw an orange light too. At 9.15 (I was passing UCG) and again at about 9.46pm (passing St. Joseph's next to Pres), I presumed it was the ISS. It fizzled out with shadow of earth.
Saw the ISS pass on Friday night and tonight, it was a bright white though.
It was amazing.

Can anyone confirm if the orange light was definitely the ISS?

It was just near UCG(/NUIG) I saw it too! It was travelling a Tesco -> UCG path... is that what you saw at 9.15? Definately glowing orange, much bigger than ISS too.

Was the one you saw later going in the same direction?

spadder · 14-09-2009 9:44am

A guy on the Tom Dunne show says he saw an moving orange light on Sat night about 9ish too.
This guy was in Dublin

glanman · 14-09-2009 9:48am

There is a report on the news that a meteorite landed in the Cork/Kerry region. worth €100million if you find it...

Sleipnir · 14-09-2009 9:49am

Meterorites are usally travelling very quickly.

Chinese lanterns again, without a doubt.

spadder · 14-09-2009 9:51am

Sleipnir wrote: »

Meterorites are usally travelling very quickly.

Chinese lanterns again, without a doubt.

The same Lantern seen in Galway and Dublin?

Sleipnir · 14-09-2009 9:56am

spadder wrote: »

The same Lantern seen in Galway and Dublin?

I believe more than one has been manufactured.

They're all over the place these days; popular for wedding I believe.

smash · 14-09-2009 1:41pm

I just heard on the news that a meteor hit the south west of Ireland the other night about 10.30 - there's a reward for it of €100m as they're worth 500 a gram and it's over 2 tons weight...

Sleipnir · 14-09-2009 1:43pm

steve06 wrote: »

I just heard on the news that a meteor hit the south west of Ireland the other night about 10.30 - there's a reward for it of €100m as they're worth 500 a gram and it's over 2 tons weight...

A 2 ton meteorite would leave a fairly big crater if it hit land. If it was one, chances are it's at the bottom of the Atlantic.

smash · 14-09-2009 1:47pm

I know yea. They're saying on the radio that it would have hit land with the force of an atomic bomb and would have turned night to day for a few minutes... obviously someone would have noticed that!

Rayne · 15-09-2009 8:29am

gary82 wrote: »

It was just near UCG(/NUIG) I saw it too! It was travelling a Tesco -> UCG path... is that what you saw at 9.15? Definately glowing orange, much bigger than ISS too.

Was the one you saw later going in the same direction?

Yeah, thats the one i saw at 9.15. Very bright orange, it was much bigger than ISS, your right.

At 9.45pm it was doing a Tesco towards say Claddagh/Salthill direction, via the canal. Same speed, exact same bright light.

It was pretty cool! Thought for sure was the ISS but am convinced otherwise now.
Did you get any pics of the bright orange light?

thebyrnie · 01-01-2010 2:43am

I had just see a number of these in the last hour one after the other flying over dunnes in westside honestly it was the most surreal thing I have ever seen

It came from the the left hand side looking at dunnes from inishannagh travel through the sky faster than a plane but no trail or noise then no sooner was it out of sight but an other one done the same

I counted five in total

Any one else see the same tonight

P.S I Know its new years eve but honestly i haven't been drinking or anything else

Melton_Carbury · 01-01-2010 4:27pm

I saw a single bright orange light heading south from Balbriggan. There was no sound and a perfectly smooth movement. Could have been a Chinese Lantern I guess...but where's the fun in that?

Riamfada · 01-01-2010 4:30pm

These lanterns were for sale on loads of christmas gifts websites. It only takes one person set one off. Thats not alot.

ednwireland · 01-01-2010 5:32pm

traditional_chinese_flying_lantern_thumbnail__58739.jpg

£11.99 for 10 on amazon

nifheorais · 01-01-2010 5:34pm

thebyrnie wrote: »

I had just see a number of these in the last hour one after the other flying over dunnes in westside honestly it was the most surreal thing I have ever seen

It came from the the left hand side looking at dunnes from inishannagh travel through the sky faster than a plane but no trail or noise then no sooner was it out of sight but an other one done the same

I counted five in total

Any one else see the same tonight

P.S I Know its new years eve but honestly i haven't been drinking or anything else

We saw them too just after midnight when we were openiing the champers. Moving from north to south and others from NE to SW. A plane was in the sky aswell and the orange light swerved to avoid the path of a plane that was travelling SW and moved in the same straight pathonce again. Would chinese lanterns stay on a sstraight path?

Riamfada · 01-01-2010 6:10pm

Perhaps Ill just jump on the eggshells we are all avoiding and clear one thing up. There is no such thing as aliens or aliens spaceships.

thebyrnie · 01-01-2010 7:03pm

Cheers for that i'd say it was the laterns that kinda the reason i asked i really didn't know what it was could of being metoer some kind of firework pretty much anything never really thought about aliens, thanks for that

karlog · 01-01-2010 8:09pm

nifheorais wrote: »

We saw them too just after midnight when we were openiing the champers. Moving from north to south and others from NE to SW. A plane was in the sky aswell and the orange light swerved to avoid the path of a plane that was travelling SW and moved in the same straight pathonce again. Would chinese lanterns stay on a sstraight path?

A satellite reflecting the suns light perhaps

Iridium · 01-01-2010 9:49pm

Sounds like a Chinese lantern to me too. Saw a trail of at least 8 of them, let off at roughly 60 second intervals just after midnight last night. They were off in the distance, and were very eye-catching, drifting slowly and silently along with their bright orange glow, but I've seen them up close too and that's definitely what they were.

02-01-2010 1:10am

saw four of them at 23.45 ish. amazing alright.

Eglinton · 02-01-2010 2:48am

Just came into this forum to post about this and the thread title jumped out at me. Saw this same sight last night about 2am. Was probably over Dundrum area in South Dublin heading East/South East. I thought it was a plane at first but it wasn't flashing. Looked like a rocket taking off burning bright orange. Amazing sight.

Thanks for the explanation. Pity it's not astronomy related!

marky boii · 04-01-2010 11:32pm

:P

quotaj wrote: »

Hi guys,

We were walking home from town at 9.15ish tonight and noticed a very bright orange light (size of a big star) travelling East to West.

It didn't flash or anything and the colours and brightness were varying a bit which made it look like it was burning! I thought maybe the shuttle re-entering but I see that had already landed. It appeared to fizzle out once it came down to a certain angle. The whole sky was clear around it then too though as I could see stars so it wasn't just clouds. Then we spotted the same thing, passing the same direction about two hours later.

What would it have been? All airplanes flash lights right?

Its only the Planet Venus Its very Visable during the winter months..

Bright Orange Light passing over Galway?

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