Odd Object

cfuserkildare

Hey folks,




I am looking for some help here,


Most nights there is an object that passes over the Celbridge area, heading from South to North. Said object becomes very bright ( almost Venus level ) but only from about 5 degrees before vertically above and fades off at about the same range past vertical, dropping to level of a plane at very high altitude before fading off completely after perhaps another 20 degrees.


Anybody able to explain this odd behavior?

FishOnABike

Possibly a passing satellite ?

ISS Detector for android or ISS Spotter for iphone should help you identify if the time, path, etc match any satellites passing overhead.

cfuserkildare

Hey Fishonabike.

Will try those.

Not sure about ssyelite though, Polar Orbit and the change of brightness has me confused.
If it is a satelite lit by the sun then it is at the wrong part of the sky. Surely it should be bright in an area where the sun should see it, not vertically above??
Has me a little baffled to be honest.

Mountainsandh

I have seen similar lots of nights, and was intrigued by location and, like you, shortish visibility/pass. Every time I checked, I ended up with rocket debris, all from same crowd (possibly Russian?), but sometimes different rocket launches debris. I guess they shoot them all up with same trajectory so it makes sense all debris would have similar orbit. I've mentioned them in another thread, but not sure of name anymore, think they might have been Cosmos + numbers/letters debris. A series of launches/missions over the 80s iirc.

cfuserkildare wrote: »

Hey folks,




I am looking for some help here,


Most nights there is an object that passes over the Celbridge area, heading from South to North. Said object becomes very bright ( almost Venus level ) but only from about 5 degrees before vertically above and fades off at about the same range past vertical, dropping to level of a plane at very high altitude before fading off completely after perhaps another 20 degrees.


Anybody able to explain this odd behavior?

edit : link to the satellites due to pass this evening. Look at the list of Cosmos rocket bodies ! Somehow it seems I've a link to the ones that have already passed. Fiddle around with your location and times.
http://heavens-above.com/AllSats.aspx?lat=0&lng=0&loc=Unspecified&alt=0&tz=UCT

Pat Dunne

cfuserkildare wrote: »

Hey folks,




I am looking for some help here,


Most nights there is an object that passes over the Celbridge area, heading from South to North. Said object becomes very bright ( almost Venus level ) but only from about 5 degrees before vertically above and fades off at about the same range past vertical, dropping to level of a plane at very high altitude before fading off completely after perhaps another 20 degrees.


Anybody able to explain this odd behavior?

What you are more than likely seeing is an Iridium Flare. Which is cause when the main antennae on a Iridium Satellite briefly reflect the rays of the sun and causes the "flare".

Have a look at www.heavensabove.com, here is the link for seeing Iridium Flares from the Celbridge area http://www.heavens-above.com/IridiumFlares.aspx?lat=53.3399&lng=-6.5385&loc=Celbridge&alt=50&tz=GMT . Also have a look at the the "All Satellite"section as well http://www.heavens-above.com/AllSats.aspx?lat=53.3399&lng=-6.5385&loc=Celbridge&alt=50&tz=GMT

Always great to look at on a clear night, enjoy