What the hell did I just see in the sky?

June 15, 2019 9:16 PM

What did I just see flashing almost directly overhead? About 2235CDT, I was letting the whiney dog out and saw something flash almost overhead in my peripheral vision. I thought it was a meteor, but about 15-20 seconds later I saw it again.

It was a bright flash, maybe slightly dimmer than tonight's moon, pretty quick ramp and decay (less than half a second). Using a finger at arm's length to be about half a degree, each flash was 1.5-2 degrees apart. It was moving roughly from SE to NW, based on alignment with my house, which blocked my ability to see further flashes.
Location - 90W, 38.5N

posted by notsnot to Science & Nature (8 answers total)

Sounds like a satellite flare. I think you can look up when they pass over and are visible.
posted by Sassyfras at 9:23 PM on June 15, 2019

Was it the ISS passing overhead? If not, likely another satellite.
posted by erst at 9:24 PM on June 15, 2019

I'm no expert, but Heavens-Above for your location doesn't seem to show anything moving that direction at that time. It is roughly the opposite path that the Starlink satellites would have been taking, so maybe you saw two different Starlink satellites and thought it was one satellite going the opposite direction?

The calculation is somewhat sensitive to location, you may get different results if you put in a more precise location. Click on the lat/long at the top right and update with more precise coordinates, change the date back to tonight, and see what it comes up with for you.
posted by yuwtze at 10:39 PM on June 15, 2019 [2 favorites]

Are you sure it was real? Sudden appearance of flashes can be a symptom of eye issues. If you see the flashes again and can’t determine a source, consider if your symptoms fit the description here: Kellogg Eye Center.
posted by nat at 11:34 PM on June 15, 2019 [3 favorites]

Maybe it was two meteors.
posted by exogenous at 11:08 AM on June 16, 2019 [2 favorites]

I thought it was a meteor, but about 15-20 seconds later I saw it again.

Meteor showers are definitely a thing.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 8:19 PM on June 16, 2019

Seconding, totally a satellite flare. They're not normally that bright because the area on the ground of high brightness is pretty small... So you got lucky!

I see a flare or two a year that Heavens Above don't have listed.
posted by gregr at 8:35 PM on June 16, 2019

SpaceX's new Starlink satellites have some worried about light pollution.
posted by at at 10:35 PM on June 17, 2019