White satellite in details under 40X scope!

St 23:45(20 juli2003) when I take a look at the sky from the window I spot strange white satellite at south-west to north-east orbit. Strange because the white light looks like coming from itself not from sun reflection. Immediately I track it with 40x50 spotting scope and I saw it like small white structure not like normal satellite just like point through the magnification. After this I track the white object with 20x60 binocular until it fall beyond horizon. This was the second optical observation on this object - at 29 October 2000 18:30 I and my skywatch partner track very bright white satellite at west to east orbit moving very fast at the sky - through 40x64 spotting scope it was like half ball, like half piece of aspirin. Several times I spot this white object with naked eye and I separate it from other satellites easy because he have specific dirty-white color and two orbits - west-east and south-west t to north-east. I think that is not real UFO object but I must check it with powerful than 100xtimes optic with serious light gather capabilities.


Vesselin Yakovov

I too watch the sky regularly, I have a 10" reflector, a 6" apo refractor, and 2 spotting scopes I use from time to time. Its fun to watch and see whats up there. Sometimes I wonder what I see, but usually it goes away too fast.

In fact it is very hard to track fast moving satellite with powerfull reflector telescope because field fo view is very small and for that reason is better to use spotting scopes in ufo-alert situations. The big problem here is that scopes have no photo-options and skywatchers can only see the object without any proovements for UFO organizations like BUFORA, MUFON and RUFORC. My skywatch practise says that best ufohunt tactic is to use wide angle binocular like 7x70 for searching the UFO and spotting scope with photo or video system like Astel 40x80 on a tripod.

When I go camping with my friends from the college astronomy club, they all bring their binocuars out. I like using them, been throwing the idea around of getting some. Last summer when the ISS flew by, it was really fun to watch it fly by, although it was very fast and all I could see was the bright light. My reflector is alright for tracking things, the field of view is better than you might think. I generally use Nagler eye pieces because of the extremely wide field (Its an F4.8 10" Orion Skyquest Dobs).

Could it be the International Space Station (or Isis as I like to call it)

Answer

You have really powerful optical arsenal for example the best optical tool that I use in my skywatch practice now is perfect Kronos binocular 20x60(www.russianoptics.com...) - any reflector telescope is far better than this but I�m really very fast with this binocular in my hands when something is going on the sky, with big powerful reflector telescope you must gather all the elements of the construction before enter outdoors with power magnification in your hands and maybe for this lost of time UFO object shall go on and disappear from the visible sight . I use also spotting scope 40x64 on a tripod and after few months I plan to buy 70 mm russian scope ZRT457() with 30 or 60x magnification and all metal made construction and good tripod - I think that this is maybe the best spotting scope for this class. Well I check my skywatch books and find few observations on ISS and Space shuttle done before two years time in 2001 with the data taken from web-site www.heavens-above.com... about current ISS and shuttle visible passes over Sofia in degrees and time data files. ISS and shuttle are too different sky targets from this white object - first ISS and shuttle were orange-yellow in color and second they fly about 1 degrees in sec. at the sky and for example the white satellite is brighter two times than Venus and move towards the sky with visible speed about 3 degrees/sec. - much more from any other satellite in orbit! Because I have serious virtual activity I have alert in other bulgarian UFO and Astronomical forums about this mysterious fast white satellite that looks like small ball under 40x magnification and maybe soon we shall have any results when anybody of the subjects track the object under his optical tools.
If you don�t read my old post I have two real UFO observations on silvery objects - the first one 1991 with 40x64 spotting scope and the second one 1998 with naked eye. If you don�t want to read ten pages text in last forum pages about all the history I can write about this case shortly in one-two pages. This is case not for anomalous satellites - this is case for real UFO objects.

This is a very interesting thread...

Please keep us updated on what you can observe, File99. If you observe it for several nights in a row, and it's not on any of your 'charts' as being a satellite, my guess is that it's just some non-public (IE secret) satellite... However, if it seems to change its orbit, or disappear from the sky, then you are dealing with a legitimate UFO (I'm assuming that the aliens wouldn't have the same orbital orientation for weeks on end). Please report it to your nearest UFO organization (like NICAP, MUFON, NUFORC... or whatever UFO organizations exist in Russia?).

Can you make any photos of this object?

Jim

Jim, because I have two very serious daylight UFO sightings(silvery objects) and I have reported them to MUFON, BUFORA, RUFORC and all other major UFO organizations it�s not very good for future corporation to alert them for any single possible UFO sighting. In fact I have 3 years time of skywtach and scientifically investigating after my second real UFO observation before enter Internet start to collect data about similar UFO sightings and email UFO organizations about the case.
Now about this bright white satellite I think this is something like russian suborbital shuttle named Ayaks or very big about 250m(750 yards) balloon type satellite orbiting at 250 km(156 ground, 138 sea miles). Discovery sky channel show few times film about object that NATO�s radar station in Scandinavia was able to tracked flying with speed 8-12 MAH on 100-120 KM over the surface in russian sky. In this films man with maybe aviation education say that Ayaks suborbital shuttle have plasma shield system that help to avoid temperature effect of enormous air-collision. Maybe this plasma shield is shining with white light?
I can�t establish every night observations this is impossible(study, work, weather).I know very well that if this object or any satellite suddenly change his orbit path or make zigzag this means real UFO case not conventional object trajectory in orbit, I have no observation but I have talks with people who have sighted zigzagging �satellites� and if you read NUFORC data base you shall find reports about zigzagging �satellites�. About disappearing I think your are wrong because when satellites enter Ear-shadow they disappear from the visible sight. I can�t photo this bright white satellite because first I have no photo equipment with enough optical power(more than 100X magnification, bigger that 120mm arperture, special hydraulic tripod), second it�s very difficult to track and photo successfully any satellite under powerful telescope, in fact there are ISS and Shuttle photos with 200 mm telescope(200Xmagnification) and on this photos they are constructions not single points. And for this reason I have alert professional astronomers here in Bulgaria about this current white object activity and it�s very possible after few weeks to have any results like optical observation or real photo like ISS and Shuttle .