UFO or ISS ? I filmed last night above Kent Uk 10:15pm SOLVED BY PHAGE , Thanks

I happened to glance out of my french doors last night and saw a very bright object flying towards my location from the west. At first I thought it must be a low plane with headlights so waited to see if as it got closer it would show navigation lights. However as it moved closer it remained as a very bright white light with no blinking of navigation lights to be seen. I then rushed to my car grabbed my camcorder and filmed from the front of my house as it then flew away from my position eastward until it went out of sight. I have filmed the iss before and naturally thought it must have been the iss but according to heavens above at my location it flew over after midnight at 1am Wednesday but I saw it at 22:15 therefore it can't have been the ISS
heavens-above.com...

If it wasn't the ISS what the hell was it ? It wasn't a plane or helicopter that's for sure. Can the Heavens Above website be wrong or have I made a gaff somewhere?



[edit on 5-5-2010 by tarifa37]

[edit on 5-5-2010 by tarifa37]

[edit on 5-5-2010 by tarifa37]

Nice capture

Certainly no blinking lights on that, and if the ISS was elsewhere when you filmed this, then it stands to reason that it IS something else.

Must be exactly what I saw too.

I for a cigarette around 22.00, seemed a little earlier than 22.15 to me (but I'm in Sussex and I have no idea how fast this thing would have to be going to be in Kent by then,) and it probably took near on five minutes to travel from a lowish position due West across the night sky to the East, almost directly overhead, at what appeared to be a very high altitude.

However it was so bright and bigger than an aircraft usually appears at high altiude. The object also appeared to me to be completely lit with no signs of other coloured or blinking lights.

There was also no noise apparent bar the background noise of traffic and an aircraft approaching Gatwick on a standard flightpath. Speaking of which, I have never seen any normal aircraft travel on the flightpath that this object took.

Glad someone else saw this

It would be great if more people come forward saying this too, let alone any ideas!

Edit to add: The only natural thing I thought it could be was a comet perhaps? But then I thought that there would be more coverage of this if it was. As for being the ISS, I have seen the ISS before and it was much smaller IMO.


[edit on 5-5-2010 by fanthorpe]

reply to post by fanthorpe


Thanks for your post, I am glad someone else saw it. I too have seen and filmed the iss and this did seem larger and brighter however I know it can have different magnifications on different days . It seemed very similar to a iss pass that i have seen and filmed before but according to heavens above it can't be the ISS because it was too early. Its a pity i could not film it on its approach as it was far brighter and looked larger before it went overhead . Here is a video I took last year of the iss for comparison.

Hello, I'm from Kent as well. On Saturday night my mum told me to look out the window & I saw something exactly like this. I couldn't get any footage because my phone's battery was near enough dead. It eventually faded out, I suspected a Chinese lantern. But who knows, ey

Originally posted by fanthorpe
Must be exactly what I saw too.

I for a cigarette around 22.00, seemed a little earlier than 22.15 to me (but I'm in Sussex and I have no idea how fast this thing would have to be going to be in Kent by then,) and it probably took near on five minutes to travel from a lowish position due West across the night sky to the East, almost directly overhead, at what appeared to be a very high altitude.

[edit on 5-5-2010 by fanthorpe]

To be honest I am not sure of the exact time as it wasn't until afterwards I looked at my watch to see what time it was. So could have been nearer ten than 10.15 but was definitely around 10.10 give or take a few mins at most. I wonder if anybody else saw it.

Originally posted by toshly
Hello, I'm from Kent as well. On Saturday night my mum told me to look out the window & I saw something exactly like this. I couldn't get any footage because my phone's battery was near enough dead. It eventually faded out, I suspected a Chinese lantern. But who knows, ey

I have seen a few china lanterns and this was not one. Lanterns are usually orange and flicker. I soon realized this was not a low plane but a large object very high up, possibly in orbit.

Just finished watching through the video that resembles what I saw on Saturday

Thanks for the OP.
I saw something similar cross the sky in eastern Pennsylvania at 20:50 ET on April 28, 2010.
Bright light, approximately the size of the width of a cigarette held in my outstretched arm.
It crossed the sky from SSW to NNE, covering 3/4 of the sky in approximately 90 seconds.
I have seen the ISS cross the sky before, when it had been announced that it would be visible.
This thing did not travel in the same direction as the ISS, and was much brighter.

[edit on 5-5-2010 by butcherguy]

Whilst I admit that I have been fooled before by a Chinese, watching concerned until I realised that I was seeing a flame, this was most definitely not a Chines Lantern.

RE: Time.

I wasn't trying to sound picky, I just thought I'd try and give the times I saw

reply to post by fanthorpe



All I know is that if it is the ISS which is what I would have said it was due to my previous experience of it ,why are the fly over times so wrong. We both saw it and pretty much confirm the same time. What is for sure is the heavens above web site list fly over time as

Pass Details
Date: Tuesday, 04 May, 2010
Satellite: ISS
Observer's Location: uk ( 50.7365°N, 0.3516°W)
Local Time: Central European Summer Time (GMT + 2:00)
Orbit: 342 x 355 km, 51.6° (Epoch 05 May)
Sun altitude at time of
maximum pass altitude: -14.1°

Event Time Altitude Azimuth Distance (km)
Rises above horizon 23:09:13 0° 270° (W ) 2,171
Reaches 10° altitude 23:11:14 10° 273° (W ) 1,332
Maximum altitude 23:14:09 71° 349° (N ) 381
Enters shadow 23:16:18 18° 81° (E ) 981

Detailed Star Chart

Credit to heavens-above.com...
when you add the Summer Time (GMT + 2:00) you get 1:09 am Wednesday 5/5/10

reply to post by tarifa37


Hi Tarifa37. I saw the something, that looked just like that, on the night of 3/5 so two days ago. It was really bright and i recognised that it couldn´t be a plain nor a chopper. This was in Odense Denmark, man i whished i had a camera, glad you did.

Originally posted by toshly
Just finished watching through the video that resembles what I saw on Saturday

What time did you see it on Saturday? I will look it up on Heavens above to see if it matches a fly over time for the ISS. Or check it yourself by clicking this link
heavens-above.com... then

Configuration


select from map

then look at Saturdays fly over times

Wasn't last night Tuesday, May 4th?
Very bright pass over London at 22:14.
www.heavens-above.com...

The chart you linked is showing CET.

reply to post by Phage


Well done phage I thought it must be me getting the wrong details. I was looking at this result

Pass Details
Date: Tuesday, 04 May, 2010
Satellite: ISS
Observer's Location: uk ( 50.7365°N, 0.3516°W)
Local Time: Central European Summer Time (GMT + 2:00)
Orbit: 342 x 355 km, 51.6° (Epoch 05 May)
Sun altitude at time of
maximum pass altitude: -14.1°

which lists my location as uk but then confusingly CET (gmt +2:00) which is where I have gone wrong. Cheers Phage problem solved.

reply to post by tarifa37

If you use the map to select the location it defaults to CET. If you use the database it uses local time at the location.

reply to post by Phage


Thanks for your help I am not very familiar with the workings of that site but will follow your advice next time.

I was looking at the NASA skywatch thing, but they only have passes listed for the future. How can I find out if what I saw was the ISS on 4-28-10?

reply to post by butcherguy

If you use heavens-above.com there is a "previous" button to view past passes.

Small caveat: The farther back or forward in time from the present, the less accurate the information will be. Within a couple of weeks there should be no problem though.

reply to post by Phage
Thanks!
I will try it now.