Space debris over UK?

[ikjoyce]

Hi all,

While walking in a nature reserve near Coalville, UK this afternoon with a friend and he spotted something moving rapidly in the sky. I had my Canon 400mm lens on camera, and managed to fire off two rapid shots. It looks like something breaking up in the atmosphere? The two shots were taken at about 3:56 GMT (4:56 BST). The object was moving very rapidly East to West.

Will upload links to images shortly. Thanks for your patience.

Kind regards,
Ian

[ikjoyce]

Cropped photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ikjoyce/se ... 598255821/

Two shots, one second apart. Also adjusted copies to increase contrast a little.

Any thoughts or opinions on what this was much appreciated!

Many thanks,
Ian

[geckzilla]

Looks like a couple of fluffy seeds hooked together to me.

[neufer]

Looks like a couple of fluffy seeds hooked together to me.

• It could still have been "something breaking up in the atmosphere."

<<The first Cosmos (1980) episode is “The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean” which starts with Sagan introducing his ‘spaceship of the imagination’ modeled on a dandelion seed riding the solar winds, from the edge of the universe ever closer to home until we arrive above the earth:

• We are going to explore the cosmos in a ship of the imagination, unfettered by ordinary limits on speed and size, drawn by the music of cosmic harmonies. It can take us anywhere in space and time. Perfect as a snowflake, organic as a dandelion seed, it will carry us to worlds of dreams, and worlds of facts.>>

[ikjoyce]

Could have been, but they would have to have been a very large, very high up, very bright and very fast moving couple of seeds! My mate followed it across the sky for a few seconds before I saw it and grabbed the two shots before it disappeared into the glare of the sun. It was an interesting time, we had been intending to photograph birds, but got distracted by sun dogs and a circumzenithal arc (first time I had seen one! Will post that photo separately when I get home) so we were looking at the sky more than we might otherwise have been. lucky to have seen it.