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Look Out Of Your Window Now! Astronomical events.
- Thread starter Withnail
- Start date
Staffordy McStaffordface
Active Member
Does anybody know if there would have been any satellites visible to the naked eye yesterday (9/12/22) around mid-day in the UK? I was taking a walk up Cannock Chase and there was not a single cloud in the sky and at no time was my view impeded. (Below is a picture I took right beforehand, and what I saw was central but about three quarters up).
I saw what I thought was maybe a planet, but when I stood still, it looked like it was moving. It then started to change from a twinkling shiny light to slightly darker, and then disappeared. There was never a time that it fell from my sight below the horizon - it just slowly 'disappeared' right before my eyes. (And no, it wasn't the sun, that was on my right)!
I saw what I thought was maybe a planet, but when I stood still, it looked like it was moving. It then started to change from a twinkling shiny light to slightly darker, and then disappeared. There was never a time that it fell from my sight below the horizon - it just slowly 'disappeared' right before my eyes. (And no, it wasn't the sun, that was on my right)!
Gramaisc
Forum O. G.
You can sometimes get reflections of the sunlight from aircraft, particularly from the (almost) flat area of the tailfin.
It can be quite bright - bright enough to 'hide' the actual plane itself - and it will start and finish, usually, by building up and then fading down, as the angles slowly change.
Even the ISS won't be visible around midday.
BobClay
Well-Known Forumite
Old Ra the Sun God is playing with his light sabre !!! 
What's interesting about this is the physics is not fully understood. We may know a lot about how the Sun works, but I suspect there's a lot more that we don't know.
What's interesting about this is the physics is not fully understood. We may know a lot about how the Sun works, but I suspect there's a lot more that we don't know.
Theresa Green
Well-Known Forumite
Can’t seem to find it
Theresa Green
Well-Known Forumite
I read that in the Evening Standard
The Hawk
Well-Known Forumite
Cornwall space launch: Virgin Orbit targets Monday for UK mission
Weather permitting, it should be possible, from much of the UK, to see the rocket on its way up.
proactive
Enjoying a drop of red.
Read what?
Withnail
Well-Known Forumite
We don't get Channel 4 round our way, we get OUR misery DIRECT.
Gramaisc
Forum O. G.
Potential naked eye comet in a couple of weeks.
www.rte.ie
Once in 50,000-year comet may be visible to naked eye
A newly discovered comet could be visible to the naked eye as it shoots past Earth and the Sun in the coming weeks for the first time in 50,000 years, astronomers have said.
Noah
Well-Known Forumite
Longer term one to watch out for is the asteroid nicknamed Charlie. Predicted to hit the earth on 16th March 2880 and it is bigger than the one that caused problems for the dinosaurs. Unlikely to be very good for anything that we haven't destroyed by then.
The Hawk
Well-Known Forumite
It will miss us. If I'm wrong come back and tell me off.
Now if you really want to panic, I'll let you into a secret, the sun is going to become a red giant and fry us all in just over 5 billion years. Revelations like this make life hardly worth living.
The Hawk
Well-Known Forumite
I'm sure the main news channels will be carrying tonight's historic launch but, for anyone wanting to watch the build up and launch live, Virgin Orbit's YouTube channel will be carrying it here:
Once the rocket fires up, weather permitting, it should be visible from Stafford; look roughly west-south-west (roughly in the direction of where the sun has set). The rocket's trajectory should take it up and towards the south-west, looking from Stafford (i.e. heading left).
littleme
250,000th poster!
@Just little old me:) face the back of the house and look left.