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Originally Posted by NickontheCoast
SO there I am observing and see a flare shaped object about where M5 should be....
It's bird shaped and is shaped as if it is heading away from a bright object..which when I look closer is moving - satellite?
The object and its flare companion continued to move through the western sky ascending west to north - visible to the naked eye.
Any pics I have seen of iridium flares give them a torpedo shape - this flare was very spread out but certainly attached to the other bright object.
An iridium fare or similar??
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It was the plume from a satelite thruster making its correction in orbit. Good spotting. We saw it at Astrofest last night naked eye, in the binoculars it was excellent and in Jonathans 20 icnh SDM was a sight I wil never forget. The plume was a perfect thrust shape and you could see the sat speeding away. Was so clear and the high point for many of us last night at Astrofest.