Help identifying this flash of light?

rollmebackagain · #1 02-06-2014, 09:52 AM

Is this a meteor? Flare from a tumbling satellite? UFO?

I noticed this in one of the photos from a time lapse I shot a while back and am a little unsure of what it is. This is an unedited version straight from camera. It's green on on half of the streak and is not quite a straight line, but appears to wobble a bit.

Taken on the evening of July 3, 2013

Thanks!

graham.hobart (Graham stevens) · #2 02-06-2014, 10:17 AM

could be a satellite trial from an iridium satellite- they often appear greenish

barx1963 (Malcolm) · #3 02-06-2014, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rollmebackagain

Is this a meteor? Flare from a tumbling satellite? UFO?

I noticed this in one of the photos from a time lapse I shot a while back and am a little unsure of what it is. This is an unedited version straight from camera. It's green on on half of the streak and is not quite a straight line, but appears to wobble a bit.

Taken on the evening of July 3, 2013

Thanks!

If you have the date, time and position you can go to the Heavens Above website (http://www.heavens-above.com/ ) and it will tell you if any Iridium flashes were there.

Cheers

Malcolm

mithrandir (Andrew) · #4 02-06-2014, 12:54 PM

For it to be a satellite you'd need to have an awful lot of atmospheric distortion to get those ripples. Much more likely a meteor.

rollmebackagain · #5 03-06-2014, 01:07 AM

This shot was taken at the Paranal Observatory in Chile, so I can pretty much guarantee that an extreme amount of atmospheric distortion is not the cause.

astroron (Ron) · #6 03-06-2014, 10:20 AM

I would say that is the trail left a few seconds after the meteor has passed through, it is then starting to dissipate,hence the wobbly line.
Cheers

Phil Hart · #7 03-06-2014, 05:30 PM

Classic bright meteor with transition from green to red colours at different atmospheric heights (oxygen/nitrogen involved..). Waviness is from high level winds distorting the glowing train left behind, which although not as bright as the meteor itself persists for a period of time (seconds or longer) and therefore contributes sometimes more to the image brightness than the meteor itself.

Phil