Phantom Fuzzy

[astroboy]

Not sure if this qualifies as a Solar System object since no one is quite sure what it was , seems its from a rocket launch yesterday, amazing thing to see all the same.

[Octane (Humayun)]

Awesome shots!

They're eerie and mysterious.

H

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Great shots! I have yet to see one myself.

[pluto (Hugh)]

Very cool!
It was probably the Falcon 9 that launched at 6pm AEST yesterday.

[astroboy]

Thanks folks
Hugh what causes the cloud ? I would have thought space craft would just appear as a dot .
I'd be interested in finding out a bit more about it.
When I first saw it I thought it looked like a comet , I remember seeing IRAS Alcock about 30 years ago looked similar but did't move quite this fast though.

Zane

[pluto (Hugh)]

I believe it's the exhaust plume from the second stage.

[Ajemsa (Andrew)]

I noticed something due west at about 7pm AEST as I was driving home and could not make it out. I was just about to get my telescope on to it but by the time I dropped all my gear to go outside again it disappeared.
Astroboy, were these shots looking in that direction?

[LewisM]

Yes, rocket plume from the second stage usually - it tends to dissipate out fan-wise in the upper atmosphere as the pressure is lower etc etc.

I recorded one of NASA's Delta secret launches late last year - was directly overhead, and from horizon to horizon like a powerful, focused searchlight beam. Beautiful to see.

[tel.lekatsas (Tel)]

Great shots Zane.

I saw this last night after I got home from work. It was unbelievably bright just after sunset, towards the west and clearly visible through low cloud. I thought it was a plane heading my way through cloud. After watching it for a minute or two I realised what it was (some friends saw a rocket plume last year, I missed it).

I grabbed my camera and by the time I got it off the scope and onto the tripod the beautiful yellow ball from your first image was dissipating. I managed to get a couple of shots off on the modded canon 1100D with 50mm lens (30, 60, 120 seconds @ iso 3200).

It was a lovely sight!

[astroboy]

Originally Posted by pluto

I believe it's the exhaust plume from the second stage.

Thanks Hugh mystery solved

Originally Posted by Ajemsa

I noticed something due west at about 7pm AEST as I was driving home and could not make it out. I was just about to get my telescope on to it but by the time I dropped all my gear to go outside again it disappeared.
Astroboy, were these shots looking in that direction?

Sounds right it was just north of Corvus when I first saw it

Originally Posted by tel.lekatsas

Great shots Zane.

I saw this last night after I got home from work. It was unbelievably bright just after sunset, towards the west and clearly visible through low cloud. I thought it was a plane heading my way through cloud. After watching it for a minute or two I realised what it was (some friends saw a rocket plume last year, I missed it).

I grabbed my camera and by the time I got it off the scope and onto the tripod the beautiful yellow ball from your first image was dissipating. I managed to get a couple of shots off on the modded canon 1100D with 50mm lens (30, 60, 120 seconds @ iso 3200).

It was a lovely sight!

Well done getting a shot at all I only got mine because I was already set-up taking some pics