The night sky........

Discussion in 'Members Hobbies' started by Fat Controller, Aug 26, 2012.

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  1. Phil A

    Phil A Guest

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    I've seen a few like that, twisting & flaming. Because the entry speed was so low, i've suspected they were satelites burning up. Especially if its north south, a lot of them are in that orbit.

     
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      Phil A, Aug 28, 2012
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    • ARMANDII

      ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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      That could be answer, Ziggy, as it was an unusual colour, and as a test of the size if you extended your right arm in front of you and raised four fingers it would be as wide as the width of the the four fingers.:dunno::snork:
       
      ARMANDII, Aug 28, 2012
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    • Phil A

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      You just said that to make me stick 2 lots of 2 fingers up at myself didn't you:snork:

      Blimey yes, a meteor would barely be wider that a match held up in front of you and if it were an asteroid of that size, we'd be on global armageddon alert with a full Bruce Willis factor.
       
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        Phil A, Aug 28, 2012
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      • ARMANDII

        ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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        Yeah, that's what made me think it was very near. It was the complete lack of sound that struck me, you'd have thought something going as fast as that and as large as that would have created a sound of some sort.:scratch: You don't need me to make you hold two fingers up at yourself, Ziggy, we do that to each other every now and then anyway:heehee:
         
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          ARMANDII, Aug 28, 2012
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        • Phil A

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          Oops nearly used our special smiley then:snork: Best keep those ones in the office.

          There was no sound as it was burning up in the top of the atmosphere, so it was probably 300 miles+ up, if you had stood there for another half an hour you probably would have heard it.
           
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            Phil A, Aug 28, 2012
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          • ARMANDII

            ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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            Well, I have a feeling that it was only, at most, a couple of miles away, because of the size of it and that it wasn't that high up...but it's very difficult to judge distances, although my gut feeling was that it was close and at cloud level when I saw it for that brief moment.:dunno:
             
            ARMANDII, Aug 28, 2012
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          • Phil A

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            It is deceptive when looking at the sky. If it had been that close you probably would have felt the shock wave.

            The Tunguska comet flattened hundreds of miles of trees in Siberia without touching them. Good job it didn't hit in the Cold War, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation:hate-shocked:
             
            Phil A, Aug 28, 2012
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          • ARMANDII

            ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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            Yes, that was one heck of a comet;) I was taking into account that I can't see that far or low in the West because of the hills and woods and it seemed to be in front of them because it was low. Also I didn't mention that it seemed to burn out before it reach terra firma.:snork:
             
            ARMANDII, Aug 28, 2012
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          • Phil A

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            Ahh, def in the upper atmosphere then.

            To get a comparison, have a look at a jet flying at night. What do they average, 32,000feet?

            Then compare where in the sky that appears to be compared to a satelite. They look like they are at the same height but even a low earth orbit satelite has got to be more than 800 miles up to avoid skipping on the atmosphere.
             
            Phil A, Aug 28, 2012
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          • ARMANDII

            ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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            I get airline aircraft sometimes coming over from the South when the wind is in a certain direction for Manchester runway so I know they're only at a couple of thousand feet then. I didn't have to look up for it. I was standing basically looking straight ahead and the thing appeared at low to medium height which is what caught my attention, but it was large with a flaring tail, fairly low and I still think within a couple of miles range.:dunno:
             
            ARMANDII, Aug 28, 2012
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          • Phil A

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            You would have heard it/been knocked over by it in about 4 seconds at that distance.
             
            Phil A, Aug 28, 2012
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          • ARMANDII

            ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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            I know, that's what I can't understand, unless it wasn't that big but created a large flare. With all the stuff that's falling out of the sky these days we'd all be flat on our backs every few minutes if that was the effect.:dunno:
             
            ARMANDII, Aug 28, 2012
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          • Jenny namaste

            Jenny namaste Total Gardener

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            Are there any web sites that you could trawl to see if anyone else reported it Armandii?
            I think you have Aviation knowledge?
            Jenny
             
            Jenny namaste, Aug 28, 2012
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          • Phil A

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            Thats what makes me think it was a long way away, most stuff burns up before it gets anywhere near the ground. For a meteor to produce that sort of display it would have to be big, whereas a satelite would have a lot of different materials to burn up, but not the mass to cause a shockwave.

            You said you saw a greenish light, that indicates copper, which doesn't occur in meteors, they are usually either Nickel/iron or stoney. But a satelite will have copper wiring.
             
            Phil A, Aug 28, 2012
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          • Phil A

            Phil A Guest

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            I think he does:biggrin:

            [​IMG]
             
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              Phil A, Aug 28, 2012
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