+DaveJW Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Got back from a week's walking in the Lake District yesterday evening. Unfortunately the car was rammed so couldn't take a scope, (a pity as the cottage we stayed in was a mile down the road from Coniston & the sky was very dark - the Milky way being easily visible with very little time required for dark adaptation). At least I took the bins along anyway (7x50s). Friday was the driest day of the week & we walked all day so by 10:30 everyone was knackered & went to bed. I decided to observe for half an hour as the sky was perfectly clear for the first time. I just cast around with the bins enjoying the star fields, traced all along the Milky Way. M31 was as good if not a better sight in the bins than it appears through my 12 inch Dob back at home on my back yard. I happened to be looking east through the bins when I noticed flashing light in my peripheral vision (i.e. not through the bins) & put them down to find out what was going on:- Fireball! Like a firework - a cluster of bright white lights with long red/orange trails, bits breaking off as it went along. A few smaller orange trailers followed on. The whole thing moved smoothly from east to west, reminding me of the international space station in the way that it just seemed to glide along (it was a bit quicker than the ISS, but much slower than the usual shooting stars). I didn't hear it make any noise. Almost certainly man made space junk I would think, but a spectacular sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmic dave Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Sounds like a great time was had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 I'm so jealous Dave, we have stayed in a cottage in the Lake District quite a few times and I agree it's dark and so quiet, it's a fantastic place to go walking as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Jammy so and so, really jealous. Glad you had a good time though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wisewoman Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Another jealous one here! It jut shows you that the powers that be aren't keeping tabs on all that junk up there. It would be good if someone did, then we could have been forewarned about the spectacle ! :-) Melissa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red dwalf Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 jealous here too, wish i`d seen it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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