Fast moving silent craft

MingulayJohnny

Hello , just wondering if anybody out there has seen strange craft travelling at great speeds in North Wicklow ( Roundwood ) or anywhere else in Ireland for that matter in the last month?. I've witnessed craft with and without flashing lights crossing the night sky in ways and speeds that airplanes and helicopters could not move. Some fly much higher than the passenger aircraft that are flying. I am not a pilot so please excuse my ignorance if there is a rational explanation for this.

xflyer

Satellites can often be seeing crossing overhead, some flash, some don't. They move very fast. In a place like Roundwood out in the country away from bright city lights they would be more visible than in cities. If you spend any length of time looking at the sky you will see several in a night.

It certainly won't be aliens or secret stealth aircraft.

Lenny Lovett

xflyer wrote: »

Satellites can often be seeing crossing overhead, some flash, some don't. They move very fast. In a place like Roundwood out in the country away from bright city lights they would be more visible than in cities. If you spend any length of time looking at the sky you will see several in a night.

It certainly won't be aliens or secret stealth aircraft.

Yeah, most likely satelites or if your looking east from Roundwood could possibly be RAF aircraft over the Irish Sea? Also, when the Space shuttle is up it's often visible as a very fast moving bright light. The international space station is often visible too but not very bright.

Cessna_Pilot

Plus it's meteor shower season at the moment too is it not?

cyrusdvirus

Lenny Lovett wrote: »

Yeah, most likely satelites or if your looking east from Roundwood could possibly be RAF aircraft over the Irish Sea? Also, when the Space shuttle is up it's often visible as a very fast moving bright light. The international space station is often visible too but not very bright.

i thought the ISS was the brightest star, no??

Nforce

Cessna_Pilot wrote: »

Plus it's meteor shower season at the moment too is it not?

I'd guess that this is what the op is/has witnessed

http://www.astronomy.ie/perseids2010.html

cyrusdvirus

Nforce wrote: »

I'd guess that this is what the op is/has witnessed

http://www.astronomy.ie/perseids2010.html

Doubt it.

Shooting Stars are visible for a few seconds (if even that) at a time, and would be relatively easily identifiable as such.

Nforce

gatecrash wrote: »

Doubt it.

Shooting Stars are visible for a few seconds (if even that) at a time, and would be relatively easily identifiable as such.

MingulayJohnny wrote: »

Hello , just wondering if anybody out there has seen strange craft travelling at great speeds in North Wicklow ( Roundwood ) or anywhere else in Ireland for that matter in the last month?. I've witnessed craft with and without flashing lights crossing the night sky in ways and speeds that airplanes and helicopters could not move. Some fly much higher than the passenger aircraft that are flying. I am not a pilot so please excuse my ignorance if there is a rational explanation for this.

Hence the "great speeds" and the manner in which they are perceived to "fly".

MingulayJohnny

Seen three shooting stars on the same night alright. Does anybody know which satellites actually pass over Ireland?. I found a few satellite tracking websites but don't know which ones to look for. Cheers.

jimbis

I was up in Roundwood last week to watch the meteor shower and within an hour i seen 5 satellites (and about 20 meteors:D) so i'd say thats what your seeing alright.
You could download http://www.stellarium.org/ and then get the satellite add on. Its a really good application to have! Not sure if it tracks all satellites though..

xflyer

This is what you need: http://www.heavens-above.com/ All the data on satellites you never thought you needed to know. One thing to look out for are Iridium flares. The website tells you where and when to look. Never managed to see one myself but I live in hope.

FlutterinBantam

jimbis wrote: »

I was up in Roundwood last week to watch the meteor shower and within an hour i seen 5 satellites (and about 20 meteors:D) so i'd say thats what your seeing alright.
You could download http://www.stellarium.org/ and then get the satellite add on. Its a really good application to have! Not sure if it tracks all satellites though..

jeez.... you saw!


C'mon man.

jimbis

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

jeez.... you saw!


C'mon man.

Oh dear god call the grammar police for i have committed a terrible offense.:eek:


Get a life man .