Beginners Luck ?

Made my first attempts at shooting stars over the weekend and I think I got a shooting star (meteor) in the one frame ? When I saw it on the camera I thought it was a darn plane, but when I saw it on the computer it looks more like a meteor. I see there is a plane behind it with a blinking light. Also looks like it's going away from me so I wouldn't think it would be a planes headlight. The exposure was 30 sec. long

Meteor or Plane or UFO ?

Well, if it were a plane, it should have blinking lights as the one near it in the image. The consistant color and brightness lends me to believe it's either a satellite, ISS, or a UFO. Most iridium satellites have a very bright reflection somewhere along it's path. My best guess...

Wasn't thinking about a satellite, I have seen them in the past.

I just took a closer look at the original and I can faintly see a blinking light in the bright streak. That sounds like a plane ?

Hello there,

Looks like the ISS to me. Look at the data in your photo (exact time, length of exposure, orientation) and compare it with what CalSKY tells you about events at that time in your area - you'll be able to identify what it is.

Until then it's a UFO.

Via Heavens-above website, took me 5 minutes to do the below....
Using your EXIF data, Original Date/Time = 2013:10:11 20:24:51
and your location of Bethlehem PA

Wow that's pretty cool. I'll have to play with that site when I have time tonight. I was actually about 200 miles NW of home, near Warren PA, looking NW. Maybe that's why the time difference. Time and date are correct in camera.

Would the ISS have a blinking light ?

...and one I took several years ago.

Blinking light...I don't think so unless someone on-board was blinking his flashlight out the window.

Diver-Down wrote in post #16372357
Wow that's pretty cool. I'll have to play with that site when I have time tonight. I was actually about 200 miles NW of home, near Warren PA, looking NW. Maybe that's why the time difference. Time and date are correct in camera.

Would the ISS have a blinking light ?

well sorry to say then it's definitely not the ISS, as upon input of Warren PA you are still seeing the same event as your home location.

Now, you can plan ahead and use that site to make sure it is the ISS for future capture.

So, plane most likely.

Yes, I saw there was very little difference for Warren, It sure looks like the ISS shots you guys have though. How about a satellite ? Maybe the one below ? Checked my camera again and the time was off by about 2 min. so actual time was around 20:22to 20:23 Not sure if the direction of travel is correct though, the moon was behind me. Brightness is higher than the ISS too, if I'm reading the numbers right. Higher is brighter ? Also why two times on some days for the ISS, are there two ?

Also included a close up of the trail. Not sure if it's a blinking light in the beginning of the trail but there's something there. Looks quite different from the plane behind it.

Come on Greg... look at you... Big Dipper / ISS and all out of focus LOL. It is fun to know in advance and set up to catch it if the clouds will let you. It'll be so bright sometime you swear you should hear something. I use an app on my iphone called GoSatWatch. You can have it give you an alarm before passes if you want.

One thing the original pic could be is an airplane with a landing light on at it's front gear. If there's dotted lights beside it... it's not the ISS.

If you have a remote timer and wide lens you can get some cool passes


http://mophopix.smugmu​g.com …005858&k=h33LLm​J&lb=1&s=A

IMAGE LINK: http://s347.photobucke​t.com …ia/ISS4-12-12med.jpg.html

Maybe if an astronaut is outside on a smoke break.

Diver-Down wrote in post #16374049
if I'm reading the numbers right. Higher is brighter ? Also why two times on some days for the ISS, are there two ?

The lower the number the brighter the object will be. when you get to -3 it's pretty bright. ISS gets to -10 sometimes. I have thought is was a helicopter leaving a local hospital before. Your cropped picture looks to have something flashing... I still think a plane with a landing light on... but that is pretty much what a 7 or 8 second ISS trail would look.