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Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 1:07 pm
by cyprusmax47
Was yesterday trying to photograph some decent shots of the milky way when this appeared... what could it be?

Image

Max

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 2:09 pm
by WHL
Could it be the NASA space station, I have seen it fly past several times.

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 2:16 pm
by Dominic
A satellite, probably. The perils of long exposure.

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 3:38 pm
by Earlsfield
If it was on a long exposure then it could have been the Space Station, most likely a meteor

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 5:18 pm
by cyprusmax47
Perhaps it helps: here my camera setting: F2.8, 10sec, ISO 2500, 24mm.

Definitely no meteor as they are much faster than what occurred that moment, but faster than a aeroplane...

Max

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 7:56 pm
by Paul

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 10:53 pm
by Varky
Earlsfield wrote: Thu Aug 29, 2019 3:38 pm If it was on a long exposure then it could have been the Space Station, most likely a meteor
Surely if it was on a long exposure the stars would also have a 'tail' as the earth turns on its axis and the stars remain fixed.

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 12:46 am
by Earlsfield
Long ish...I suppose, the ISS moves pretty fast!

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 1:09 am
by Earlsfield
Happy in Cyprus wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 1:00 am
Varky wrote: Thu Aug 29, 2019 10:53 pmSurely if it was on a long exposure the stars would also have a 'tail' as the earth turns on its axis and the stars remain fixed.
Correct...and there are no tails from the stars.

Earlsfield, the ISS actually moves pretty slowly. My money's still on a meteor.
I would tend to agree it’s a meteor...although the ISS does move quite rapidly across the night sky! No doubt you have seen it, as it is often seen in the Cyprus sky..and it shifts!

https://youtu.be/xOsOifg4Mm0

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:12 am
by Ancient History
Looks to me like a meteorite, they do travel quite fast at times...

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 3:37 pm
by boycott
Its Father Christmas out with the reindeers doing a fitness check to make sure there are fit for the big day!

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 8:40 pm
by Dominic
Ancient History wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:12 am Looks to me like a meteorite, they do travel quite fast at times...
Max said it was a 10 second exposure which would be far too slow for a meteorite.

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 11:28 pm
by 71 Trans Am
As it looks totally out of proportion with everything else on the picture – I dragged and dropped the picture onto the desktop and then zoomed in and it becomes digitally pixelated and the rest of the background does not so could it be a hair on the lens ?

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 9:31 am
by LouiseCastricum
Max, can't find your latest village post anymore.

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 10:10 am
by cyprusmax47
LouiseCastricum wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 9:31 am Max, can't find your latest village post anymore.
As it disappeared I replaced it now...and it is not Argaka Louise. :)

Max

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 10:37 am
by cyprusmax47
71 Trans Am wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 11:28 pm As it looks totally out of proportion with everything else on the picture – I dragged and dropped the picture onto the desktop and then zoomed in and it becomes digitally pixelated and the rest of the background does not so could it be a hair on the lens ?
Definitely no hair on the lens. Here another pic how aeroplanes appear with the same 10sec setting...
Image

Max

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 12:05 pm
by Dominic
Varky wrote: Thu Aug 29, 2019 10:53 pm
Earlsfield wrote: Thu Aug 29, 2019 3:38 pm If it was on a long exposure then it could have been the Space Station, most likely a meteor
Surely if it was on a long exposure the stars would also have a 'tail' as the earth turns on its axis and the stars remain fixed.
Not in 10 seconds, nor 30 seconds for that matter.

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 10:09 pm
by cyprusmax47
In the end I believe that I was lucky enough to photograph the space station. Here some explanation from NASA:

"Can you explain how to identify the space station in the sky? Did I see the space station last night?"

The space station looks like an airplane or a very bright star moving across the sky, except it doesn’t have flashing lights or change direction. It will also be moving considerably faster than a typical airplane (airplanes generally fly at about 600 miles (965 km) per hour; the space station flies at 17,500 miles (28,000 km) per hour).

and: "The space station is visible because it reflects the light of the Sun – the same reason we can see the Moon. However, unlike the Moon, the space station isn’t bright enough to see during the day. It can only be seen when it is dawn or dusk at your location. As such, it can range from one sighting opportunity a month to several a week, since it has to be both dark where you are, and the space station has to happen to be going overhead."

Max

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 11:25 pm
by Varky
Dominic wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 12:05 pm
Varky wrote: Thu Aug 29, 2019 10:53 pm
Earlsfield wrote: Thu Aug 29, 2019 3:38 pm If it was on a long exposure then it could have been the Space Station, most likely a meteor
Surely if it was on a long exposure the stars would also have a 'tail' as the earth turns on its axis and the stars remain fixed.
Not in 10 seconds, nor 30 seconds for that matter.
So we agree it wasn't a long exposure, which was the intent of my response to Earlsfield's post.

Re: Unidentified flying object?

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 12:52 am
by Dominic
Max already said it was a 10 second exposure.