Strange sighting? Airbus A346 lighting.

BEASTERLY

Hi folks,

Just wondering if you could shed any light on this for me please. About two years ago on a clear night I was looking east and close to the horizon I saw a very bright flickering orange light. It crept very slowly up the horizon at first, not much quicker than a rising star. Gradually you could begin to notice movement with the naked eye. It then got faster and faster until it was the speed you would expect of an aircraft. All the while the intensity of the orange light was getting dimmer from first sight. Eventually the orange light went out as it was about to cross overhead and then navigation lights became visible and the roar of jet engines became noticeable.

Again tonight the exact same thing. Spotted a VERY bright orange light on the horizon @ 21.17. It was brighter than that planet that is high in sky to the west tonight. I could tell it was very distant as it was flickering like a planet's light. Everything was the same as before, it took nine minutes from first sighting to reach overhead.

I ran for my SBS detector plugged it in and it was a Virgin Atlantic A346, G-VWKD. And according to flight aware it was still over wales at this time.

Does the A340 have a orange light on the front that even from 120km away and at 36,000 feet it is brighter than the brightest star or planet in the sky tonight?

xflyer

First thought that it's some form of atmospheric effect. If you've ever seen the moon low down in the sky it appears large and orangey. It can be quite extraordinary. This is as a result of the light passing through greater amounts of atmosphere with all the attendant dust and contaminants. The moon appears larger because of some form of optical effect. I saw this last year one evening. It almost looked like the moon was just hovering over the ground a few miles away.

Perhaps it's a similar effect on the Airbus.

BEASTERLY

xflyer wrote: »

First thought that it's some form of atmospheric effect. If you've ever seen the moon low down in the sky it appears large and orangey. It can be quite extraordinary. This is as a result of the light passing through greater amounts of atmosphere with all the attendant dust and contaminants. The moon appears larger because of some form of optical effect. I saw this last year one evening. It almost looked like the moon was just hovering over the ground a few miles away.

Perhaps it's a similar effect on the Airbus.

Yea I get the flickering is due to the distance, because it has more atmosphere to go through. While the same effect will make an object look bigger it will diminish it's intensity. The most amazing thing though that this was visible while the aircraft was still circa 100km away.

jimbis

Could the light of the sun be still hitting the airbus when it was over wales at 36000ft?

I know this is what makes the international space station visible at night time as its dark down here but the ISS is high enough to be still in sunlight.

BEASTERLY

jimbis wrote: »

Could the light of the sun be still hitting the airbus when it was over wales at 36000ft?

I know this is what makes the international space station visible at night time as its dark down here but the ISS is high enough to be still in sunlight.

Well this could be seen when close to the horizon, even the ISS goes out of sight at that low of an able to us even though it's up a few hundred miles. This got dimmer as it approached from the east(going towards daylight) aswell.

Maybe it was a Virgin galactic re entry , just had the squawk mixied up with another craft in the fleet.

sparrowcar

jimbis wrote: »

Could the light of the sun be still hitting the airbus when it was over wales at 36000ft?

I know this is what makes the international space station visible at night time as its dark down here but the ISS is high enough to be still in sunlight.

This

At that altitude the sun would not have set yet. Imagine being in a valley and lookin at the tops of the mountains getting the last of the sun in the evening and obviously the plane is much higher.

Su Campu

Strange one this.

Assuming you're right when you say that it was the same light you saw all the time, then it's a bit baffling. At first sight, it was 9 minutes away, which at a speed of 880 km/hr, was around 130 km away, as you said. At a height of 36,000 ft, that would mean it was around only 5 ° above the horizon. It's hard to believe that atmospheric visibility was 120 km at that angle, but even assuming it was, it's strange how the light got dimmer as it got nearer.

I wonder if it was reflection of the sunlight off the wing leading edges, engine nacelles and nose cone, which would be maximised at that orientation, with the sun behind you as you looked at the plane. As the plane got higher in the sky, this alignment was broken and the light reflected in all angles. However, first sight was around 1 hour after sunset, so it's unlikely that the sun was hitting the plane in the first place at that time! :rolleyes: Even the ISS goes into earth shadow pretty high in the sky one hour after sunset.

I just dunno!!!!

squonk

I don't know myself. I don't think the Sun is a good explanation. Even at dusk the ISS goes out of view fairly high up ~10-30deg as it heads SE so I struggle to see how a plane at that time and height could be reflecting the sun, especially as it was actually following the sun's path.

BEASTERLY

Yea I really dont think it was the sun, at that time there wasn't even an orange sky in the west. And as others have said the ISS which is 300 miles up loses the sun pretty high up in the sky. I also think the last sighting was later at night, not sure though but ill ask the other person who witnessed it that night.

One thing to note is that both times it flew directly overhead so I would have been looking at it straight on. I though about it being last nights full moon, and the orange just being an atmospheric effect.

I tried to video it but I only realised later there was no fecking card in the camera.

Here's a screen shot from the record on my SBS receiver. I only got it on after the aircraft had just flown overhead.

cocoshovel

Keep an eye out for this again tonight or some other time, if possible try get a picture or video of it?

Su Campu

I think we may be looking to deep for an explanation lads! It could well have been just the landing lights on! It seems to occur in the cruise more often than you'd think!

http://www.pprune.org/passengers-slf-self-loading-freight/398652-landing-lights-during-cruise-fl390.html

As for the lights being switched on only briefly we sometimes do it to check if there are any clouds ahead so we can switch on or off the engine anti ice.

It could have been just that!

This is the map for that time, just for info

BEASTERLY

cocoshovel wrote: »

Keep an eye out for this again tonight or some other time, if possible try get a picture or video of it?

I kept an eye out for a good while last night but nothing. Any aircraft that came across that direction showed nothing unusual. But if it's happened twice I'm sure it will happen again.

I think the key to the mystery is that it flew directly overhead meaning I was looking at it head on, and the lower down on the horizon the brighter.

Yea Su I think the landing light is the best explanation so far. Although the light shone until it was nearly overhead and there certainly was no fear of cloud around last night. Must be some lamp to shine brightly over 100km away!