looking for explanations for luminous point following ISS ???

Hi guys!

I was just waiting outside for the ISS to pass by. There is this realy neat app on iphone (sorry for advert )that tells you precisely when the ISS will pass over your head, it basically gives you the path the space station will take it's quite basic but really functional.

Anyway. So I was there just waiting in the wind, with a bright moon. And it came. Always amazing, surprizingly bright and with this very specific light emitting. I was looking at it for a while and it started arriving to my alignement and that's when I notticed a second light, much smaller, following it.
First I wasn't sure. It was much dimmer than the ISS more like the light emitted by more "normal" manmade satelites. But after a moment I was sure something was in the track of the ISS.
It was moving at what seemed to be the exact same speed at the same distance, that must have been quite behind.
If I held my hand arm distance apart, it made about 5 cm between my index and thumb (sorry metric system). no idea what distance that makes up there. Anyway i followed both lights (with my eyes) and at one point the second light disapeared. They both were quite far already...

So my question is as you guess what could it be? Do you guys think it could be some reflection in atmosphere?? like a kind of space ghost dog )) ?? But then the angle wound have evolved relatively to the emitting source (sun on ISS on ? ) I mean i am SURE there was a second thing and I witnessed it for maybe 30 seconds, maybe more... pretty bad at time estimation...

Anyway it was cool to see. Like a bonus pack ISS

Yo's to all

reply to post by Logiciel

An express cargo delivery is on its way to the International Space Station. Nearly 3 tons of food, fuel and gear to replenish Expedition 39 launched aboard an ISS Progress 55 resupply craft at 11:26 a.m. EDT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan

www.nasa.gov...

Docking completed at 22:15 UTC.

reply to post by Phage


If the timing matches up, maybe the OP was lucky enough to see it. That's pretty cool.

reply to post by butcherguy

It is cool.
I have never caught a Soyuz or Progress but I did see several shuttle rendezvous.

Phage
reply to post by butcherguy

 

It is cool.
I have never caught a Soyuz but I did see several shuttle rendezvous.

I was lucky enough to see a shuttle and ISS make a visible pass over me soon after a shuttle un-docking. It was pretty cool to see both lights in the sky, one behind the other.

Logiciel
So my question is as you guess what could it be? Do you guys think it could be some reflection in atmosphere?? like a kind of space ghost dog

)) ??

The ghost of Laika!
Poor Laika

reply to post by Phage


I was able to see it pass with a shuttle docked once. It was quite bright due to the time of the evening, being shortly after dusk.

reply to post by butcherguy


A favorite story of mine is once my daughter (about 7 at the time) and I went out to watch the ISS pass over. We were playing our usual "who can spot it first" game and I won. Then she said "Dad! There's another ISS!"

She got bonus points for spotting the shuttle trailing the station (I didn't know to expect it) and won the game.

progress M-22M is also still up there after undocking a few days ago.

good observation and good luck, thanks for sharing.

fist width at arm's length is about 10 deg, it's important to report such features.

Of course Phage s implacable method and logic! Didn't even think about checking out actuality... Nice one mate.

I'm pretty happy I caught that!
I remember the first time I saw the ISS, I reported it at MUFON lol... I mean I quickly made some researches and re contacted them to explain them hehe.

Happy gazing star kids!

reply to post by JimOberg


When you say 10 degrees are you talking about the elevation relative to horizon?
I was talking about the distance between the two objects...

Logiciel
reply to post by JimOberg

 

When you say 10 degrees are you talking about the elevation relative to horizon?
I was talking about the distance between the two objects...

You said 5cm at arms length and should be commended for providing such detail. However obviously 5cm is not the distance between the objects, rather this distance at arms length is a rough indication of angular separation, and those angles can apply anywhere, from the separation of the objects you saw to degrees above the horizon.

reply to post by Phage


Hahahah, that's funny!

Actually what I find funny is how YOU didn't identify the shuttle before SHE did...and I thought you were the "best" observer out there.... pffffff~ (jk)

reply to post by Skywatcher2011

I thought you were the "best" observer out there

Oh hell no.
My eyes aren't good enough for that.