mikiek
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 10/10/07
Posts: 925
Loc: SE Texas
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Last evening, soon after the sun had set (about 7:00-7:30PM CDT)I saw something I thought was a planet. Actually my 2 year old pointed it out - she's going to keep me hopping. At any rate, it was very bright with a reddish/orange tint. It was located pretty much on my meridian at about 50-60º above the horizon and at that time it was west and north of the moon
After doing some reading it just didn't seem to fit where any of the planets were located. I could see Jupiter so rule that out. It was bright enough to make me think Venus but I think it was way to high in the sky. The color made me think Mars but it was awfully bright and again too high in the sky.
Then the weirdest part of all. I was staring right at it and then it just disappeared and did not return. That started making me think satellite but it didn't seem to be moving.
I was (and am) stumped. Anyone have any ideas?
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May there always be starlight on the path - R.Burnham
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Subterralien
member
Reged: 10/27/07
Posts: 56
Loc: Colorado
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The placement of it really does sound like Jupiter - despite the fact you could already see it somewhere else. You sure what you originally thought was Jupiter - was actually Jupiter?
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-Alex
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mikiek
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 10/10/07
Posts: 925
Loc: SE Texas
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Absolutely sure. Jupiter was to the east of the moon and was still visible after this other guy disappeared.
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May there always be starlight on the path - R.Burnham
___________________________________________________________
Celestron CPC 1100
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Panoptic 22mm, 27mm, 35mm(the brick), 41mm (the cinder block)
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Tony Flanders
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/18/06
Posts: 2102
Loc: Cambridge, MA, USA
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Quote:
I was staring right at it and then it just disappeared and did not return... Anyone have any ideas?
My guess is a weather balloon that suddenly popped. Weather balloons look a lot like planets in early twilight.
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Tony Flanders
eyeglasses
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mikiek
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 10/10/07
Posts: 925
Loc: SE Texas
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Good thought Tony - that might also explain the reddish color.
I thought about something reflecting sunlight and then perhaps the sun ducked in behind the earth and the object lost its light source. But the sky was still fairly light so I don't think that was it.
I don't suppose I'll see it but I'll definately be looking for it this evening.
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___________________________________________________________
May there always be starlight on the path - R.Burnham
___________________________________________________________
Celestron CPC 1100
Radian 3mm, 5mm, 8mm, 12mm
Panoptic 22mm, 27mm, 35mm(the brick), 41mm (the cinder block)
Nagler 3-6 zoom, T4 17mm
Ethos 13mm
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crazy Ray
member
Reged: 12/22/06
Posts: 71
Loc: East Texas
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possibly an irdium flare?
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DblVision
professor emeritus
Reged: 10/11/06
Posts: 549
Loc: 29.99N 92.15W
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Did it look this the "planet" in the attached photo? (It's a balloon very near the burst point).
Probably more than you want to know about weather balloons, but here's a link to a one of a series of posts from earlier this spring: Balloonatic
In southeast Tx, upper air stations are located in Corpus, Brownsville, and Del Rio. Upper air steering guides them.
Have been trying to catch the evening Lake Charles balloon here in southwest Louisiana, w/o luck of late.
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Neal
G.O. Sig 10.5x70
Swift 761 8X42
60mm Spotter
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mikiek
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 10/10/07
Posts: 925
Loc: SE Texas
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Don't think so. This was not just a flash. I was looking at it for several minutes.
However a defunct satellite or low orbit space debris could be a possibility. Whatever it was it didn't appear to be moving.
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___________________________________________________________
May there always be starlight on the path - R.Burnham
___________________________________________________________
Celestron CPC 1100
Radian 3mm, 5mm, 8mm, 12mm
Panoptic 22mm, 27mm, 35mm(the brick), 41mm (the cinder block)
Nagler 3-6 zoom, T4 17mm
Ethos 13mm
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DblVision
professor emeritus
Reged: 10/11/06
Posts: 549
Loc: 29.99N 92.15W
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The balloon in the photo was visible for several minutes...at the same level of brightness.
Some have been "followed" for 20 minutes or so.
Movement is often very slight, and only noted after a bit of time behind the eyepiece.
If you see one again, hit it with 20x or so. The sonde may be visible below it, either stationary or gyrating, at times furiously. If you see that, then odds are it's a sonde.
Good Luck!
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Neal
G.O. Sig 10.5x70
Swift 761 8X42
60mm Spotter
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WadeVC
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 2799
Loc: Lodi, California,
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Quote:
Don't think so. This was not just a flash. I was looking at it for several minutes.
No, it was not a weather balloon. My wife and I saw it as well, and this thing was BIG and Bright...I'd say easily twice as bright (and large) as Jupiter. Jupiter was also visible, but well away from whatever this object/thing was.
The both of us watched it for 15 minutes or so, and it appeared stationary. We finally lost it when it dipped below the tree line in our front yard.
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Tony Flanders
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/18/06
Posts: 2102
Loc: Cambridge, MA, USA
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Quote:
No, it was not a weather balloon. My wife and I saw it as well, and this thing was BIG and Bright...I'd say easily twice as bright (and large) as Jupiter.
That's exactly what a weather balloon looks like. Depending how close it was, it might well be much bigger and brighter than Jupiter.
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Tony Flanders
eyeglasses
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mikiek
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 10/10/07
Posts: 925
Loc: SE Texas
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WOW! You saw it in Ca? That's odd.
Unless we read about some new super nova I'd still lean towards the balloon or space debris explanation. I don't know what else could explain the fact that it just disappeared in an instant.
I did describe the location wrong in the OP. It was located somewhere inside where the Summer Triangle is when it first shows up at dusk - although at the time it was still too light to see those stars
BTW - I did not see it last evening, so I think that rules out most things celestial.
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___________________________________________________________
May there always be starlight on the path - R.Burnham
___________________________________________________________
Celestron CPC 1100
Radian 3mm, 5mm, 8mm, 12mm
Panoptic 22mm, 27mm, 35mm(the brick), 41mm (the cinder block)
Nagler 3-6 zoom, T4 17mm
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DblVision
professor emeritus
Reged: 10/11/06
Posts: 549
Loc: 29.99N 92.15W
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Oh please!
I would not get perturbed when an observation of “something not in the charts” is considered as a “weather balloon”, especially if I could not accurately describe what a weather balloon should look like. I do not consider myself an amateur astronomer, but I can say that a balloon that expands to over 20 ft in diameter, in the evening twilight, at an altitude of 50,000 - 100,000 feet, and within about 10 to 20 miles of my location looks like a big, super-fat, obviously spherical, brighter than Jupiter / Sirius object that only seems to move if you have been watching it for a while or have it under magnification. No, such a balloon would not be visible from another state. There are many upper air stations…all of which launch at the same time, however.
If you witness such large targets you should examine them with astronomical scrutiny. Such attention to detail may reveal the presence of a radiosonde / rawinsonde payload, a dead giveaway to the purpose of the flight in the first place.
Spelling Counts; -5
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Neal
G.O. Sig 10.5x70
Swift 761 8X42
60mm Spotter
Edited by DblVision (10/10/08 01:22 AM)
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WadeVC
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 2799
Loc: Lodi, California,
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Uh.....you ever feel like a boob?
I did some checking and it appears that it was just plain old Venus...but I have NEVER seen it appear that bright before, ever. That is why I didn't even think it was anything other than an oddity.
I re-ran Stellarium for the time we saw it, and Venus seemed to just explode in brightness on screen as it did in the sky. Could there have been some atmospheric reason(s) that Venus appeared so much brighter than I have ever seen it prior?
...I'm gonna' go bury my head now... 
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Orion XTi10 f/4.7
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Meade NGC 70mm f/10
Orion UltraView 10x50 Wide-Angle Binoculars
My Sketch Gallery
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A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top.
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mikiek
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 10/10/07
Posts: 925
Loc: SE Texas
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Glad you got an answer. My object was definately not Venus - much to high in the sky. Unfortunately, I did not have any observing equipment out at the time. Right about the time I thought about grabbing some binoculars is when it dissappeared.
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___________________________________________________________
May there always be starlight on the path - R.Burnham
___________________________________________________________
Celestron CPC 1100
Radian 3mm, 5mm, 8mm, 12mm
Panoptic 22mm, 27mm, 35mm(the brick), 41mm (the cinder block)
Nagler 3-6 zoom, T4 17mm
Ethos 13mm
Everbrite Diagonal 2", Powermate 2X
FeatherTouch Crayford, Microfocuser
Telrad Finder, SV 9x50 RACI
Kendrick Dew System
TV NP-101(riding the CPC)
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fishmagnet
sage
Reged: 12/11/07
Posts: 268
Loc: Satellite Beach Fla
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Think it might have been Antares?
*****John
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NyxAither
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 09/11/07
Posts: 829
Loc: Arlington VA
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Your object does seem to fit a weather balloon. The same thing happened to me a while ago. It moves across the sky more quickly or slowly depending on how close to you it was launched. If it was launched close to you it will just go straight up and it won't seem to move very much.
Here is a link to a thread I posted a while back:
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=genobs&Number=2539589&fpart=1&PHPSESSID=
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Thomas
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mikiek
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 10/10/07
Posts: 925
Loc: SE Texas
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Agreed - parts of your description fit what I saw. Wish I could have put a scope or binoculars on it.
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___________________________________________________________
May there always be starlight on the path - R.Burnham
___________________________________________________________
Celestron CPC 1100
Radian 3mm, 5mm, 8mm, 12mm
Panoptic 22mm, 27mm, 35mm(the brick), 41mm (the cinder block)
Nagler 3-6 zoom, T4 17mm
Ethos 13mm
Everbrite Diagonal 2", Powermate 2X
FeatherTouch Crayford, Microfocuser
Telrad Finder, SV 9x50 RACI
Kendrick Dew System
TV NP-101(riding the CPC)
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RandyR
Enginerd
Reged: 04/01/04
Posts: 14076
Loc: Castle Rock, CO 6677' MSL
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I'll vote for weather balloon. I've seen a lot of them, and it sounds just like what you describe.
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"Dark Skies & Great Viewing"
RandyR / NQ0R
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