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A Celestial Event (Original Post) kentuck Jul 2020 OP
... Celerity Jul 2020 #1
Kentuck did you get to see the comet TEB Jul 2020 #2
How long did it last? kentuck Jul 2020 #3
Comets kind of hang in the sky rather than whiz by soothsayer Jul 2020 #4
Thanks! kentuck Jul 2020 #5
No, I was totally surprised the first time I saw a comet! soothsayer Jul 2020 #10
Maybe the International Space Station? JustABozoOnThisBus Jul 2020 #6
It was moving to the East at a rather rapid clip. kentuck Jul 2020 #8
That sounds like space station. mahatmakanejeeves Jul 2020 #14
That was it! kentuck Jul 2020 #15
Same here not long TEB Jul 2020 #13
Time lapse per IG page of Dr. Brian May (also of Queen) tavernier Jul 2020 #7
Beautiful! kentuck Jul 2020 #9
May is an astrophysicist tavernier Jul 2020 #11
It was like a giant Lantern shining down to Earth from the Heavens, looking for intelligent Life. kentuck Jul 2020 #12
Apparently didn't find many, lol tavernier Jul 2020 #16

kentuck

(111,104 posts)
3. How long did it last?
Fri Jul 24, 2020, 06:41 AM
Jul 2020

I just saw something fly by...but it only lasted a couple of minutes...about 4:10 CMT...it was under the Big Dipper. I did not see the tail. It must have been a satellite? Which direction was it headed? Toward the horizon?

soothsayer

(38,601 posts)
4. Comets kind of hang in the sky rather than whiz by
Fri Jul 24, 2020, 07:08 AM
Jul 2020

They don’t zip past like meteors. Very kind of them.

mahatmakanejeeves

(57,516 posts)
14. That sounds like space station.
Fri Jul 24, 2020, 07:59 AM
Jul 2020

It's a frequent flyer. There used to be a weather anchor in DC named Bob Ryan who liked to mention when it would be visible.

It moves generally from west to east. That includes southwest to northeast and northwest to southeast.

It moves much more quickly than an airplane.

It does not have blinking lights.

The light you see is light reflected from the sun. Therefore, it is commonly sighted about an hour before sunrise or an hour after sunset. It's still within sunlight then, but it is seen against a dark sky.

You can see it during the day, but you have to try. When you see it before sunrise or after sunset, all you need is your naked eyes or a pair of binoculars.

I always enjoy seeing it. A bunch of us were out looking for the comet last Saturday. We finally saw it. The space station showed up too, low in the northern sky.

tavernier

(12,393 posts)
11. May is an astrophysicist
Fri Jul 24, 2020, 07:33 AM
Jul 2020

His area of expertise is space dust. I’m a huge Queen fan and one would think that to be one of the top guitarists in the world would be enough of an achievement, but apparently not. I follow his IG because he often has wonderful photos from space.

Glad you enjoyed the little film.

kentuck

(111,104 posts)
12. It was like a giant Lantern shining down to Earth from the Heavens, looking for intelligent Life.
Fri Jul 24, 2020, 07:36 AM
Jul 2020

That is amazing!

tavernier

(12,393 posts)
16. Apparently didn't find many, lol
Fri Jul 24, 2020, 08:54 AM
Jul 2020

Ultima Thule taken by New Horizons, not a comet but a neighbor of Pluto, way out there beyond our planets. This was one of my favorite photos sent by Brian when it was first “discovered”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxiqAoMBghN/?igshid=14vi1qqjg5z43

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