Weather Balloons?

[Amoeba]

Ok, I know this might not be the appropriate forum but this was the best I could decide on. I'm not sure where is better.

I woke up recently (about 2.15) because I was feeling quite sick (job interview nerves maybe). I went to freshen up and re-hydrate and when I came back I noticed the stars were bright so I sat and watched for a while. I then noticed one of them, a very small one, was moving.

It was moving gradually upwards and I thought at first it was a very high up plane, but it was also winding from side-to-side inconsistently. This was about 2.30. I don't know what time people use weather balloons, could it have been one?

[Doggle Avaddit]

Chinese lanterns are becoming increasingly popular. Could well have been one of them.

YouTube - Flying Chinese Lanterns

[The Woodman]

We had a good view of a string of five flying lanterns on Sunday night at 10.30 ish. They do look very interesting at first and I tried unsuccessfully to photograph them. They were below cloud level, a nice orange colour and moved slowly across the sky until they all went out, presumably due to whatever fuels them ran out.

I wonder if your sighting Amoeba was a satellite reflecting the sun on it's solar panels. I've seen them do this quite often but they don't weave about.

It's like watching a bright pulsating star.

Hope you got the job!

[Amoeba]

Haha, thanks. The interview's not for another hour yet, but thanks all the same.

Thanks for the suggestion both of you. I don't think it is these though, because it wasn't flickering very obviously and it was a night-time star blue in colour (why I thought it was a weather balloon, since they're silvery). It was also moving much faster than a flying lantern, it cleared my bedroom window's field of vision in under 20 seconds (went over the house so I lost track of it).

I also thought it could have been a satellite - that was the first thing I thought of, but it still seemed like it was moving too fast and, as you said, I couldn't figure out why it would weave about.

I've actually seen this same thing before, once when I was in Cyprus when I was about 13-years-old.

So, is a weather balloon not a possibility?

[Amoeba]

Does anyone know if this could be a weather balloon? Do they get set off that early in the morning?

[The Woodman]

I don't think what you saw was a weather balloon. I've no experience of them apart from finding a downed one in the Howgills a few years ago and seeing them on television, I don't know if they're still used even.

I think they are just a helium filled balloon with suspended equipment - no flashing lights etc. I couldn't imagine one travelling at the speed you infer and weaving about unless it was caught in the jet stream but what would cause the visible light apart from reflection?

Could it have been a jet in the distance and you were seeing it's tail strobe light?

Not much help I'm afraid but it does seem interesting.

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

Originally Posted by Amoeba

Does anyone know if this could be a weather balloon? Do they get set off that early in the morning?

Weather balloons are still used to some extent these days in the UK. The main use is to gather wind speeds in the upper air. They carry a small box of equipment to record and send back the details, but no light. They have about a 4ft diameter at launch but this increases dramatically as they gain height.

I don't think what you spotted would have been a weather balloon, more likly one of the lanterns mentioned earlier.

BWD

[Amoeba]

Originally Posted by The Woodman

Could it have been a jet in the distance and you were seeing it's tail strobe light?

It was cloudless, so unlikely (this was like a pin-prick light, like the other stars).

It seems the most likely is the lantern but as I said, I can't see one going that fast.