what is this?

[drewandlisa]

i took this just b4 sunset a couple of weeks ago , it was moving south quite fast just above the horizon. I doubt it was a vapour trail from a plane cause i would have been able to see at least part of the plane. It was moving so fast i barely managed to keep up with the scope, any ideas?

[RB]

What gear did you use to photograph this?

[drewandlisa]

12inch dob
30mm e/p
pentax k100 (joined together with a piece of plumbing tube and sticky tape, hubby is inventive annd cheap lol)

thats about all i can tell you

[Screwdriverone]

Looks to me like a jet banking to the right (away) from the camera as you can see about 4 engine streams in the contrail plume. Also, right at the tip, you can just sort of make out the body and the wings in the dark areas. Certainly looks like a lot of plume coming off it due to the maneuver and the weather conditions. Depending on the humidity and the altitude, I have seen some amazingly UFO type reflections off commercial jetliners heading west into the sunset from Sydney as they "hit" the moist/dry air barrier over the Blue Mountains and the sunset light bounces off the contrail created to make it look really wierd.
Also, if it was REALLY fast, then it could have been a fighter jet from Richmond Air base or from Williamtown near Port Stephens heading over the mountains as I know they do some pretty hairy low altitude maneuver training over and through the gorges south of Katoomba and near to the Warragamba Dam catchment / Megalong Valley.

Thats my guess anyway.

Cheers

Chris

[drewandlisa]

Well u got the location right (over the blue mountains) but it just seems funny that concidering the size and speed i couldnt hear it, normally u can hear jets (especially fighters) that close. From the naked eye it looked like a small cloud in a huuuuuuuuuuge hurry

[ving]

i'd have said afterburner on a f111 or similar airforce armourment... or a UFO.

[rollmebackagain]

i'm guessing alien ;)

[GrahamL]

army moth at sunset ..much closer than you think ??..I don't have any idea.

to be honest :)

[Matty P]

Interesting capture. It could be anything.

I'd have to say it is a UFO of some sort. :P :rolleyes: