Bright light in the sky 14/07/2015

[7hills 10]

I read posts like this on here and never thought i'd be the one asking, but......did anyone see a bright light in the sky last night (14/07) around 9:40pm?

 

I was just outside Penistone looking towards the west of Manchester. I was driving down a lane and I saw this very bright light high in the sky. Far too bright and too big to be a star. It was abnormal enough for me to pull over to check it out. But as soon as I pulled over it had gone.

 

But in the same area in the sky I could see what looked like a trail of some kind, coming from where the bright light was and shooting down. I did take a few pictures of the trail as I thought it was extending towards the ground.

 

I first thought something had exploded in the sky and it was the trail from that. But after 10 minutes it didn't seem to be moving any further down, so it could have just been a cloud maybe? At first the trail was glowing red, but it was at sunset so I presumed it was just that.

 

Anyway, I just thought I would post it on here in case anyone saw it or could explain it.

 

Thank you

[hyper 10]

plane going to Manchester airport

[7hills 10]

it was far too bright and big for that, and facing me (so away from Manchester) Also just to add, the light wasn't moving at all.

 

Thank you

[hyper 10]

I see

 

Ive heard a few tales of strange happenings over the years from drivers going over Woodhead at night.

There used to be lots at Fox House which was put down to experimental military aircraft.

[truman 10]

I did take a few pictures of the trail as I thought it was extending towards the ground.

 

 

Can you post them somewhere and give us a link?

[7hills 10]

yeah sure, not today I'm afraid but I will do.

 

The photo's are not great as I didn't have a zoom lens but you can see the trail, which also has a distinct kink in the line, kind of shaped like a boomerang.

 

I didn't think UFO or anything like that, my first thought was a plane explosion or something like that?

 

I had a quick look on t'interweb when I got home and thought it could have been a meteor/fireball. But the fact that it wasn't moving may have put me off that idea.

[truman 10]

I had a quick look on t'interweb when I got home and thought it could have been a meteor/fireball. But the fact that it wasn't moving may have put me off that idea.

 

If it was going directly away from you it may have appeared to be stationary...maybe..

[7hills 10]

True, that was one of my thoughts. The fact is it happened quite quickly before I could really take it in.

 

It was bright like a headlight but from what seemed very far away, and high in the sky! The sky was still light..ish so if it was a plane or helicopter I would have been able to see it.

 

There were no clouds that it could have gone behind too.

[AMR67 10]

ISS maybe?

[martss 10]

Amongst other things it could have been an Iridium flare, sunlight reflecting off the solar panels of an Iridium satellite, appears out of nowhere and steadily gets brighter as it moves across the sky then fades away, a single bright white light. Websites and apps are available that tell you when and where these will appear.

 

Or,

 

Aircraft landing lights as they line up directly with the viewer, front of my house faces East (I'm in Woodhouse) and I can see aircraft landing and taking off from Doncaster airport, they appear as a single white light until they either turn out of alignment or get high enough to turn landing lights off.

[7hills 10]

Thanks martss, I will have a look into that first option!

 

I'm still pretty confident it wasn't a plane. I do see them all the time round here and the fact it was so high up, clear skies and yet nothing in the sky once the light vanished. I'm sure I would have seen the actual plane after the bright seen as though I stopped and watched the sky for a while after.

 

But I suppose anything is possible!

[natjack 10]

http://www.isstracker.com/historical

http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/sightings/view.cfm?country=United_Kingdom&region=England&city=Sheffield#.VaaUS_lVikr

 

times and locations don't tally for the ISS?