What is this thing I just saw?

So, first of all I just want to let you know that I know what a common satellite looks like, which is why this thing piqued my attention, but I've never seen more "rare" things like the ISS, so I don't know.

Anyway. This just happened at about 20:45pm local time. I live in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and we're having a beautiful starry night in here. I was out in the backyard with my dog, just sitting down and looking at the stars. I was looking in the general direction of the Pleiades, when a small yellow blink caught my attention. I looked at it but it was already gone, so I just kept looking at the place where it happened and after some two seconds, another yellow light blinked slightly to the side (to the east) and stronger, as if it was moving. This time, it took a little longer, and after about three or four seconds, the yellow light blinked even more strongly and farther to the east.

By then, I was already wondering what this could be, as it clearly wasn't a normal satellite, and it wasn't an airplane (or at least not a common one) either, since it only blinked in one color, in random different intensities, and in no apparent pattern.

Basically, this thing kept heading east and blinking randomly (In intensity and in time), so I decided to run inside and grab a camera, even though I knew I wouldn't be able to capture anything like that. Just in case, you know.

When I came back, it was already about halfway through the sky (I first noticed it when it showed up west) and close to where it was there was an airplane, this time a normal one passing by, so I could make sure that thing wasn't a normal one.

After a while, this thing just disappeared in the horizon to the east and left me wondering as to what it might have been, so I decided to post here and see if someone could tell what it was.
It's probably something common, but who knows? So help me ATS

a reply to: Thorsen

MY Guess; is it is just a High Altitude Balloon probably civilian, most likely Hobbyist or Amateur Astronomers.
It is going on in the USA and elsewhere Trying to get really good pictures of the Geminid Meteorite shower.
It would be very high up, and there are small clouds blocking it from time to time causing the blinking.

Good Observation.

a reply to: Hermit777

Thanks for the quick reply! But as I said, the sky here is completely clear. This thing was definitely blinking, which is why I found it so weird, especially as the intensity of the light kept changing randomly and there was no pattern for the blinking. And it was too fast for a balloon too, it was about the speed of a satellite, that's why I thought it was one.

a reply to: Thorsen

Could be i do not know, but that light is too bright for that i think. There are clouds really high up that will diffuse light even if you do not notice them by eyeballing. The speed is winds aloft those winds up there clip along @ 150kts and higher in the very high atmoshere.

a reply to: Hermit777

Well I guess it could indeed have been a balloon. But it just didn't look like one, I've seen plenty of balloons and this one would be the most different if it's indeed a balloon. I got the feeling it was some kind of craft, maybe a really high up plane of some sort, I don't know. It just didn't quite look/act like a balloon, but in the absence of a better explanation I guess I'll go with it .

a reply to: Thorsen

I am not saying it's not a craft, just using Occam's Razor, knowing that even high-schoolers are send up balloons to take pictures of the meteorites tonight and last night. That said a new type of very fast craft is not at all out of the question, and the bright light which struck me, is a warning to other craft, "stay away i am going to fast" .

It is one or the other. Again good observational skills. Have you seen any Shooting Stars BTW?

a reply to: Hermit777

It makes sense that it's a balloon too, I have to agree. Though I must also say that it's not (unfortunately) that common for high-schoolers in here to care about doing these kinds of experiments. Or any experiments at all, actually. Our school system just doesn't really encourages that.

And yes, I have seen two tonight, they're always beautiful to see.
Thanks for your help in trying to understand what that was

I've seen objects like that before: Satellites or space debris that are rotating or tumbling. Parts of it catches the sunlight in certain ways. Rotating objects usually have a regular periodicity to their blinking, but an object tumbling on two or three axes may not show an obvious pattern.

Good catch!

a reply to: Saint Exupery

Thanks for replying! That's actually a really good theory. It could explain the random blinking, and the yellow color. But could that also explain the sharp variation in the intensity of the light? Because when it got strong, it would get really intense, like an airplane light, but other times it'd be a faint yellow light.

High altitude military aircraft at 110,000 'agl...

I saw one doing aerobatics. north of Ft. Worth

a reply to: Thorsen

Have you checked any satellite tracker or flight tracker websites? Are you on a flight path?

a reply to: GBP/JPY

It could be a military aircraft, but I don't remember ever seeing one so I wouldn't be able to identify it. Does the description match one?

a reply to: UmbraSumus

No, that didn't even cross my mind. I should have. Is there a way for me to check if something passed there earlier? If it helps, though, there is a flight path here, but I've never seen planes heading that same direction.

a reply to: Thorsen

You might be able to check what was in the sky earlier

_---_




tracker



Go outside - space station is passing over Rio now

Could it have been Geminids ? They are visible in my country around this time and perhaps also in Brazil ?

Plug your data into www.heavens-above.com... It has a large database of active and failed satellites and other man-made junk up there, so there's a chance it will tell you what it was.

I did a rough search for your stated time and location (not sure if you saw it on 13th or 14th Dec) - link, and there appear to be many rocket booster stages flying around up there.

So my guess is that it was a tumbling rocket stage.

a reply to: UmbraSumus

I'm trying to get around on that website, but I can't seem to be able to see what passed earlier, only what is passing now. And unfortunately I had to go to sleep, couldn't see the ISS .

a reply to: Jeroenske

No, I'm pretty sure this thing was crossing the sky, it wasn't a meteor.

a reply to: wildespace

It was on the 14th, yesterday night. I had no idea there were so many things up there! I think it makes sense it was a rocket stage, but still I find it odd the sharp variation in the intensity of the light. As I said, sometimes it'd get as bright as an airplane light.

I've seen things like that before. Some with faint blinking that stays in one area and doesn't move much. Geostationary satellites maybe?

a reply to: IridiumFlareMadness

I don't think so, to be honest. Because this thing crossed the sky pretty much as a normal satellite would, it wasn't slow.

If it was travelling steadily and in a straight line, then it was almost certainly a tumbling piece of space debris. Many people may be surprised that there are quite a few rocket bodies still in orbit (even ones that launched satellites many years ago), and many of these are (rather obviously) considerably larger than the payloads they put into orbit (and therefore potentially brighter).

a reply to: Mogget

It was indeed travelling steadily and in a straight line. I agree that it's likely that it was space debris, but I'm still kind of confused as to the brightness of the blink at seemingly random moments. In case it was reflection, shouldn't it always reflect with the same intensity, instead of reflecting a faint light at times, and a much brighter one at others?