Author Topic: Bright cluster in the sky (Read 1849 times)

pcolbeck · « **on:** 06 May, 2020, 10:09:27 pm »

What's the really bright cluster in the sky ? Roughly north west (10:00 pm tonight)and as bright as aircraft nav lights. Looks like a cluster of about five objects. I have noticed it a few times over the last month.Is it the new satellite constellation? I have looked that up but it looks more stretched out in all the pictures I can fined. These are really close together.

spesh · « **Reply #1 on:** 06 May, 2020, 10:10:47 pm »

Quote from: pcolbeck on 06 May, 2020, 10:09:27 pm

What's the really bright cluster in the sky ? Roughly north west (10:00 pm tonight)and as bright as aircraft nav lights. Looks like a cluster of about five objects. I have noticed it a few times over the last month.Is it the new satellite constellation? I have looked that up but it looks more stretched out in all the pictures I can fined. These are really close together.

It's the Vogon Constructor Fleet, en route to demolish Earth to make way for a hyperspace bypass...

Hot Flatus · « **Reply #2 on:** 06 May, 2020, 10:18:27 pm »

Moving?

Elon Musk is firing about 1000 satellites into orbit at the moment

pcolbeck · « **Reply #3 on:** 06 May, 2020, 10:24:31 pm »

Quote from: Hot Flatus on 06 May, 2020, 10:18:27 pm

Moving?

Only as fast as the earth is rotating. Looks like five objects in a pentagon formation.

Greenbank · « **Reply #4 on:** 06 May, 2020, 10:28:11 pm »

Google "starlink" for more info. You'll often get links to pages for a specific day.

Quote from: pcolbeck on 06 May, 2020, 10:09:27 pm

What's the really bright cluster in the sky ? Roughly north west (10:00 pm tonight)and as bright as aircraft nav lights. Looks like a cluster of about five objects. I have noticed it a few times over the last month.Is it the new satellite constellation? I have looked that up but it looks more stretched out in all the pictures I can fined. These are really close together.

They're initially launched in batches, so are often in close proximity to each other, and then they're all designed to spread out slightly, so groups will often be clumped together for a while before they eventually split up. Or sometimes the launch has them all strung out in a line, but they'll be moving at slightly different speeds so that, eventually, they'll all be spread out to form a big mesh.

andrewc · « **Reply #5 on:** 06 May, 2020, 10:32:26 pm »

Is this where we all wake up blind & find we are being stalked by carnivorous plants ?

orraloon · « **Reply #6 on:** 06 May, 2020, 10:39:12 pm »

Welcome To The Machine.

...you dreamed of a big star...

Vernon · « **Reply #7 on:** 06 May, 2020, 11:06:11 pm »

The brightest thing in that direction is Venus. It's near the constellation of Auriga, which has some of the brighter stars in that direction. Starlink satellites would be noticeably moving with respect to the background stars.

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #8 on:** 07 May, 2020, 04:22:54 am »

Covid-20?

T42 · « **Reply #9 on:** 07 May, 2020, 09:15:13 am »

Sounds like the Musk Rat's latest contribution to orbital debris.

Tim Hall · « **Reply #10 on:** 07 May, 2020, 11:40:15 am »

Quote from: T42 on 07 May, 2020, 09:15:13 am

Sounds like the Musk Rat's latest contribution to orbital debris.

I'd day not, as the OP said they were geostationary.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #11 on:** 07 May, 2020, 12:22:38 pm »

I'm not saying it's aliens...

spesh · « **Reply #12 on:** 07 May, 2020, 12:25:14 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 07 May, 2020, 12:22:38 pm

I'm not saying it's aliens...

But it's aliens.

You are Giorgio A. Tsoukalos AICMFP.

T42 · « **Reply #13 on:** 07 May, 2020, 02:24:02 pm »

Quote from: Tim Hall on 07 May, 2020, 11:40:15 am

Quote from: T42 on 07 May, 2020, 09:15:13 am
Sounds like the Musk Rat's latest contribution to orbital debris.
I'd day not, as the OP said they were geostationary.

Right enough. Nowt there I can think of, the Pleiades should have set by then.

This is nice (and free)(at least the version I have was): http://stellarium.org/en/

Jurek · « **Reply #14 on:** 07 May, 2020, 03:53:53 pm »

It's not Starlink.
According to www.heavens-above
the next time Starlink will be visible in our skies isn't until May 21st.

Greenbank · « **Reply #15 on:** 07 May, 2020, 04:28:48 pm »

Quote from: Tim Hall on 07 May, 2020, 11:40:15 am

Quote from: T42 on 07 May, 2020, 09:15:13 am
Sounds like the Musk Rat's latest contribution to orbital debris.
I'd day not, as the OP said they were geostationary.

Ah, I missed that bit.

An app like SkyView would allow you to point your phone at them and it'd tell you if it was something it knew about in that part of the sky.

Jurek · « **Reply #16 on:** 07 May, 2020, 09:12:40 pm »

Quote from: Jurek on 07 May, 2020, 03:53:53 pm

It's not Starlink.
According to www.heavens-above
the next time Starlink will be visible in our skies isn't until May 21st.

I appear to have some more recent information:
Go here: https://james.darpinian.com/satellites/?fbclid=IwAR02PQWiIdLmWYcbozukA2bCbiF9cic0FQiE44sQYZfprGDqevq_LJr92EM

Click on 'Change location' and enter your postcode.
Show is between 21:39 and 21.48 tonight - at least it is where I live

ian · « **Reply #17 on:** 07 May, 2020, 09:15:46 pm »

I shall leave you with sparklefarts.

Jurek · « **Reply #18 on:** 07 May, 2020, 09:20:11 pm »

Quote from: ian on 07 May, 2020, 09:15:46 pm

I shall leave you with sparklefarts.

sparklefahrt

pcolbeck · « **Reply #19 on:** 07 May, 2020, 10:12:56 pm »

Mystery solved.

It's Venus.

My eye site is worse than I thought its creating the appearance of a cluster of lights. Got the bins out and focused on the light and it resolved into a single point.