Burning up on re-entry ?

[fairplay]

One day last week I went to bed late at 2.11am, just as I got into bed I noticed through the window a pulsating white light come almost vertically down at an angle of 12 o'clock to 7o'clock on the clock face if you know what I mean.

This happened somewhere over the North Sea off the Suffolk Coast by Sizewell, maybe 10-20 miles off the coast and the duration was only for a second in which time it kind of pulsated 5 or 6 times.

I say 'kind of pulsated' as it was most probably a satellite or similar losing altitude and burning up as it re-entered our atmosphere and it seemed to fizzle out just above the roof tops or it could have been clouds or even a layer of atmospheric pollution which hid it.

I have seen plenty of 'shooting stars' before which last for only a fraction of a second and usually I have to crane my neck upwards to see them and are nowhere near so bright as this, and they usually travel horizontally and disappear high up, whist this one came down at a very steep angle.

Anyone agree it was something re-entering our atmosphere or could it have been something else.

Cheers,
Neil.

[Jim Ford]

Iridium Flare?

Iridium Flares

Jim

[fairplay]

Quite possibly Jim.

Cheers,
Neil.

[The Woodman]

I've seen a similar thing before, fairplay.

Like you, I'm familiar with "shooting stars" which we all see normally as they cross our line of vision at approximately 90 degrees. Asteroids enter the atmosphere at all angles and occassionally one will be heading straight for you, so to speak.

When this happens and depending on the angle of entry, you will see a rapidly brightening light which may pulsate due to the asteroid rotating and varying elements of its composition burning at differing rates.

[Doggle Avaddit]

Check out the Iridium Flare posibility, at the very least you will see something interesting.

Go here: Heavens-Above Home Page


Click on "Current observing site" and tell it where you are in the world, then it will tell you of all the impending Iridium Flares you are likely to see, and how bright they may be. There are lots of them, happening all the time.


I did this a while ago and watched one. Had I not known what it was I would have been seriously puzzled by what I had just seen!

[fairplay]

Lot's of interesting stuff there, thanks everybody.

Neil.