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#1
08-22-2008, 09:19 PM
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A Visible Re-Entry Contrail Tonight
About 8 PM CT, as I was returning home from "storm supplies" shopping, I spotted a bright blue contrail travelling N-S. The contrail was a pronounced blue-white at the tip, and appeared to rise back up just before disappearing completely. The contrail was gone almost as quickly as the light itself.
My suspicions are it was a satellite falling from a polar orbit. I haven't looked to see which one it might have been. Neat, though...
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Craig McGraw BARCLONE Rocketry -- http://barclone.rocketshoppe.com BARCLONE Blogsite -- http://barclone.wordpress.com BARCLONE Forum -- BARCLONE Forum BARs helping BARs SAM 0044 AMA 352635 
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#2
08-22-2008, 10:08 PM
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Maybe an Iridium flare?
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#3
08-22-2008, 11:30 PM
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Quote:
I thought about that, but having never seen one before, I don't have anything to compare with. It was rather striking and brilliantly lit up.
__________________
Craig McGraw BARCLONE Rocketry -- http://barclone.rocketshoppe.com BARCLONE Blogsite -- http://barclone.wordpress.com BARCLONE Forum -- BARCLONE Forum BARs helping BARs SAM 0044 AMA 352635
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#4
08-23-2008, 09:50 AM
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Go to heavens-above.com and you can get a forecast for Iridium flares. I think you can go back in time and see if one matches the time and location in the sky where you spotted your "contrail".
I've never searched for them, but think I saw something once during the day that must have been one. It was many years ago.
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#5
08-23-2008, 11:23 AM
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Quote:
Already checked, and punched in my location for possible sightings. Came up empty. The images I saw on the website didn't look like the contrail I saw, though. I think this was something else. Might have just been a meteorite...
__________________
Craig McGraw BARCLONE Rocketry -- http://barclone.rocketshoppe.com BARCLONE Blogsite -- http://barclone.wordpress.com BARCLONE Forum -- BARCLONE Forum BARs helping BARs SAM 0044 AMA 352635
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#6
08-24-2008, 09:20 PM
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Iridium flares are pretty stationary, and given that no reentries were expected, my guess is that you saw a bright meteor.
I will check to make sure when I get into work tomorrow.
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