Super Fast Object Seen, Possibly Satellite, Angular Velocity 4.5 degrees per Sec, Insane

a reply to: Zaphod58

hard to tell what it is, stars are bright.. moving not so sure, satellite possible. another nada to see, waiting my whole life to see something worthy it's kinda frustrating, so I have to like it and hope for the impossible ..

a reply to: MarlbBlack

You're just hanging out with the wrong people.

a reply to: horatio321

Do satellites travel that fast? Can anyone answer this?

originally posted by: Alien Abduct
a reply to: horatio321

Do satellites travel that fast? Can anyone answer this?

www.heavens-above.com...

Most satellites are gone from view in less than a minute. If you see a streak for a second, I suspect it is something else.

To use the heavensabove website, you better have a decent time source.

I set up a wide angle lens parked at the sky above Groom Lake in April. It is the source of a never getting done web page because I'm learning the ins and out of converting a series of stills into video. It will be in the Groom Lake forum if it ever gets done. Since I discovered nothing, I'm in no hurry. What i did discover is I need an external power source for the camera!

a reply to: Zaphod58

LOL hard to hang out with the wrong people when i lay on my fast back

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: horatio321

It would look like a satellite going over. About as bright as one too. What color was the light? White? Or a different color?

White - here it is zoomed right in...

It wasn't a streak - remember - this is an exposure of 1/5th of a second and it's a High Dynamic Range photo, taken by hand. We have azimuth, jupiter as an RO and elevation. It had an angular velocity of about 4.5 degrees per second. That's fast, honestly. Especially if it was in near earth orbit, ridiculously fast if it was atmospheric.

originally posted by: Alien Abduct
a reply to: horatio321

Do satellites travel that fast? Can anyone answer this?

To get some perspective on this, the ISS takes about 6 mins to go from first seen to last seen - that's approximately 0.5 degrees/sec

What I saw last night was near enough 9 times the angular velocity of the ISS. Most of us here have seen the ISS - so I'm hoping that helps people get a handle on this.

The jury's out....

Not much to see.

a reply to: horatio321

I've seen these too . Roughly 2009.

originally posted by: gariac

originally posted by: Alien Abduct
a reply to: horatio321

Do satellites travel that fast? Can anyone answer this?

www.heavens-above.com...

Most satellites are gone from view in less than a minute. If you see a streak for a second, I suspect it is something else.

No, I saw it for about 15 seconds, from almost overhead, to treetop height (tree top height in the photo being approx 20 degrees elevation - where Jupiter is peeking).

On the 1/5th of a second exposure - it's a streak, because it ain't hanging around! Checked Heavens above, Stellarium and other sources - Nada.

I suspect it maybe something other than a satellite. But at this stage, I'm holding fire.

a reply to: Blue Shift

Agreed. :/ My zoom looks better however, a couple of posts up - check it out. I reckon the precise angular velocity could be calculated by a mathematician here though.

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
a reply to: horatio321

I've seen these too . Roughly 2009.

Thanks for letting us know. Do you mean in 2009, or you have seen two thousand and nine of them? LOL

originally posted by: horatio321
Agreed. :/ My zoom looks better however, a couple of posts up - check it out. I reckon the precise angular velocity could be calculated by a mathematician here though.

I'll try again without so much magnification / pixellation. Both zooms do seem to indicate that it consists of two or three parts. A smaller part on top and then a longer one/two on the bottom. I wonder if that is an indicator of anything. (??)


Looks like an "iUFO."

a reply to: Blue Shift

looks like a damn exclamation point to me..... comon gimme evidence not less pixels......

originally posted by: MarlbBlack
a reply to: Blue Shift
looks like a damn exclamation point to me..... comon gimme evidence not less pixels......

Sorry. Not enough resolution to bring out a "Made on Upsilon Eridani 1" license plate.

originally posted by: Blue Shift

originally posted by: horatio321
Agreed. :/ My zoom looks better however, a couple of posts up - check it out. I reckon the precise angular velocity could be calculated by a mathematician here though.

I'll try again without so much magnification / pixellation. Both zooms do seem to indicate that it consists of two or three parts. A smaller part on top and then a longer one/two on the bottom. I wonder if that is an indicator of anything. (??)

Looks like an "iUFO."

I won’t say what I think it looks like, I’ll just say meat and vegs.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: horatio321

There currently aren't any hypersonic aircraft flying, and the only spacecraft in orbit that we have is the X-37B.

You could have broken ATS if you said you knew of a few flying. Maybe do it next April 1st

If your estimate is close to accurate it precludes the object being a satellite.

Let's use a low orbit, 100 miles, since that would require the higher velocity.

The formula is simple V=wr. (w is angular velocity expressed in radians)

4.5º/sec = .0785 rad/sec

.0785 * 100 = 7.85 mi/sec

7.85 mi/sec = 28,260 mph.

Not orbital.

originally posted by: horatio321

originally posted by: gariac

originally posted by: Alien Abduct
a reply to: horatio321

Do satellites travel that fast? Can anyone answer this?

www.heavens-above.com...

Most satellites are gone from view in less than a minute. If you see a streak for a second, I suspect it is something else.

No, I saw it for about 15 seconds, from almost overhead, to treetop height (tree top height in the photo being approx 20 degrees elevation - where Jupiter is peeking).

On the 1/5th of a second exposure - it's a streak, because it ain't hanging around! Checked Heavens above, Stellarium and other sources - Nada.

I suspect it maybe something other than a satellite. But at this stage, I'm holding fire.

Fifteen seconds is a long time. For that kind of arc, it really sounds like a satellite.

Cell phone cameras are like 30mm lens on a 35mm camera. That would make anything longer than 1/30th kind of suspect if handheld. But your photo doesnt look blurry, so I am a loss here.

Edit:

My phone camera has a "pro mode." I can set the expose time to 1/5 second. Just taking a few shots, i cant get anything sharp handheld.