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View Full Version : Strange Meteor/Space Debri or Seagull?


jami cat
15-April-2007, 03:20 AM
At 9:40pm today give or take 5 or so minutes, I saw something streaking across the sky from west to east, location clearwater FL. Direction was WSW next the real bright Star there...(Too cloudy now to tell what constellation/Star, some planet/jupiter? is like 30/45 degrees north)

Description is a meteor bouncing on and off atmostphere and rotating? Color was orange fire looking then whitish bright, over and over. Like it was in a tumbling motion. (But also in time with Wing flapping as I think of it, have never saw orange fire color on a bird though.)

Never seen anything like it, cept' for in a movie.

I took like 5 sec, at like 30-45 degrees of sky angle...maybe too slow for some meteors...way too fast for a close bird(but kinda looked like it though)...Im thinking it was space debri.

This is also an area that where planes have a rout...it was not a plane. But, does give me a speed and distance perspective.

Is there space debri that will come in from west to east?

What would skip on the atmostphere a few times then dissapear?

Anyone else see this?

schlaugh
15-April-2007, 03:40 AM
The bright object nearby was almost certainly Venus, if you were looking west anytime after sunset.

Sounds like space junk falling from orbit, moving from west to east.

Most meteors tend to move much more quickly and rapidly burn out.

jami cat
15-April-2007, 03:45 AM
It very cloudy now...so I can't get a bering on objects...Venus sounds good, but I thought it was a little late in the evening for that?

Forgot to say ...It wasn't all that bright either. But definately observible by anyone looking that direction.

Siguy
15-April-2007, 03:48 AM
Don't worry, it was just the ISS falling from the sky. ;)


Well, probably not that, but something like an old satellite I'd guess. Most likely space junk.

Or maybe the aliens are invading. :P

jami cat
15-April-2007, 03:51 AM
awaiting the pod people now...

schlaugh
15-April-2007, 04:12 PM
It very cloudy now...so I can't get a bering on objects...Venus sounds good, but I thought it was a little late in the evening for that?

Oops...just checked and Venus set around 10:15 pm EDT so that may have been too low on the horizon. Not impossible, just not likely. A better candidate for your reference star is Sirius which would have been relatively low on the horizon at that time, about 12 degrees, but more WSW.

Peter Wilson
16-April-2007, 11:29 PM
What would skip on the atmostphere a few times then dissapear?

A meteroid striking earth at a shallow angle.



...or a seagull ;)