Aircraft? Puzzled

vedwards

Hi Folks,

just wondering if anyone else spotted this craft? travelling from West to East on the night of Friday the 15th July at around 9.45pm. If memory serves me it made the sound of a stand passenger air craft and around the same speed and height but normally their lights blinks or rotate. It was a beautiful clear night and I'm sure that I am not the only one to have seen this and wondered what type of air craft it is.
Sorry for the poor picture but I only had my mobile phone with me. I've attached the original and two I've tried to enhance.
I listened out the next day to the news but heard nothing so I forgot about it...until now. With the naked eye it looked like a large flame.

Any ideas?

Zubeneschamali

Looks eerily like a Chinese lantern...

adam500

Look's like a UFO.

vedwards

Thanks for the reply Zubeneschamali; the wife thought the same. As I've said I'm nearly sure it was accompanied by a propulsion like sound. If it was a Chinese lantern it must have been a huge lantern. I've never seen these devices up close so I cannot comment.
I should have mention that though the direction was linear from the West to the East it's path was directly over head in Gorey....where I viewed it.

vedwards

adam500 wrote: »

Look's like a UFO.

Doubt it...I was on the way to the pub ....not on the way home .

sambora

I saw something too on Saturday night around the Ongar / Hartstown sky. It was an orange light. More like a ball of light, had no idea what it what. Presumed it must have been aliens .

Chinese lanterns you say?

vedwards

This appeared to be so highly elevated that if it was a Chinese lantern surely they must pose a threat to air craft.

Rubecula

On a clear night it can be very difficult to judge height. The pictures almost certainly show a Chinese Lantern, although it is possible (not probable) that it was a hot air balloon.

You heard a sound, so either there was also an aircraft passing by within hearing distance or the flames from the burners of a possible hot air balloon could be heard.

It is not actually normal for a hot air balloon to be flying at night, but it is not unknown.

The pictures you posted do not indicate a normal aircraft but the focus is not perfect so I may be mistaken, si I think that a Chinese lantern (with the sound of an aircraft elsewhere in the sky) is the most likely scenario.

vedwards

Thanks all and thanks Rubecula,

I think your suggestion that I saw the flame/exhaust concurrent with a passing air craft is plausible and I must accept that it must have been a Chinese lantern, as you say elevation is difficult to gauge at night (though this was at late sunset) with no cloud classification to reference by.

As I couldn't have been the only person on the Island to have seen it I doubt if it was anything out of the norm. My only thought was that it might be the shuttle (saw it land live yesterday by chance - fantastic and emotional).

Doubt if it was a hot-air ballon....these tend to give long blasts followed by long pauses from the heaters....in this case both flame/glow and audio were relatively constant.

Still, this lantern must have been the daddy of lanterns as it will remain in my mind as about half the size of a Zeppelin!