Star blinks off

I'll go with the satellite also. If it was over a course of 2 or 3 minutes, that would be it. I was waiting at work the other morning around 5:28, told my co-workers to look west and they watched for 2 minutes as this light streaked across the sky. It was the ISS which I looked up on simple satellite tracker by spaceweather.com.
It is an easy program for free, just type in your area code and you will have times for most satellites.
My co-workers thought UFO as their first thoughts.

reply to post by CLPrime


I called my wife, and she said it very well could have been 22:20 and that I am misremembering the time we got back. It very well could have been the ISS

reply to post by KSprepared


Based on your description, it would probably have been bright enough to be the ISS. But I don't know why it would have disappeared. And, over the course of 15 seconds, it would certainly have moved.

Actually, I just checked, and it wouldn't have moved too much. Barely enough to notice.
Still, though, I'm not sure why it would've disappeared.


Here's a video of the ISS disappearing into the Earth's shadow:

It was in my field of view for 15 seconds, but I wasn't focused on it, just looking for a shooting star in that area, it may have moved slightly without catching my full attention. I don't know how much it would have moved in that span if it would have been enough to catch my eye. But the blink out did catch me by surprise.

reply to post by KSprepared


Would it have looked at all like the video I just added to my post above?

Its not an attack, you thread title states it was a star?

There are things also known as a solar flash, when the angle of the sun momentarily strikes the angle of the ISS solar panels, it can be brief, and if the times are about right the sun could have flashed the ISS solar panels.

The ISS right now is as bright in the night sky as Jupiter, brighter than any star, about tied for 4th brightest object in the night sky, a solar flash would make it nearly as bright a Venus.

Not like the video, just white-blink-black just like that. No fading. I guess it's a mystery. I'll look in the same spot tonight and try to narrow it down in stellarium better tomorrow.

Here's an ISS solar flash.

reply to post by Illustronic


The problem with it being a solar flash of the ISS, though, is that it would only have made an already-bright object even brighter for a second or two. That, I would say, is a bit different than a bright object disappearing completely.

reply to post by Illustronic


Nano Sail-D? I actually saw that a few months ago, didn't realize what it was but looked it up. Actually saw 2 or 3 flashes very bright. Depending on the view, the ISS might not be it, but maybe a satellite that is dim.

Now if a stage light fell from the sky, that would really intrigue me!!

reply to post by KSprepared


That happened to me when I was very young. I was probably like 3 years old staring at the skies, talking to my parents about them, and then one of them(the star) suddenly disappeared.


I think on the same night I saw a shooting star as well, I fell over and hurt my knee, so I was crying and then looked up and I saw a falling star...had a colourful tail, kind of had streaks of different colours behind it.