asteroid

[Jim]

Me and Hugh were doing a solar observing event at a school in Petts Wood yesterday. At roughly 10:30 I saw what looked like a tumbling rock pass in front of the sun. About the size of venus when it transited. Took about 5 secs to transit. Anyone any ideas as to how we can find out what it was. Maybe Ceres or Vespa?

[Mike]

Wow!! 

Sure it wasn't a tumbling satellite?

Try heavens above.

Have you checked for asteroids using planetarium software?

Maybe get in touch with the minor planet centre?

[Jim]

Pretty certain it was not a satellite as it was quite irregularly shaped. Also most satellites would not be tumbling. I only caught a glimpse of it so cannot be certain but my first thought was asteroid. does Heavens above do objects eclipsing the sun?

[mickw]

Not Vesta or Ceres and nothing showing between 10:20 - 10:40 in Starry Night.

Could be a lost and confused Taurid

[Rick]

The critical information is how long it took to pass in front of the Sun, because that gives you a hint of the distance. Five seconds or so sounds like something pretty close to us, to be honest, so a satellite seems most likely.

At 10:24-ish Iridium 81 passed very close to the Sun (according to Starry Night's best efforts, which may not be that wonderfully accurate at the scale concerned) and it would travel a solar diameter in about five seconds, so it's a possible candidate.

There may be alternatives Starry Night doesn't know about; an old rocket booster, or a dead spy satellite, either of which could be tumbling.

[Jim]

Intriguing. The Iridiums are dead I think so could be tumbling. thanks

[doug]

 
     Jim ......  Rose has seen an article in the "Maily Dail" about amateur rocket launches.

     It could have been a small V2 tumbling around the sky.  It did reach 2000 ft high and was launched from Elsworth, 10 miles north west of Cambridge. Have a look, if you read the Mail.

     Doug.

[Rick]

Iridium was taken over by the US Military when the phone company went bust, so much of it's still working.

Whatever you saw, I think, with that transit duration, that it was much nearer than the Moon's orbit, so if it was an asteroid we'll be seeing the headlines soon...

[mickw]

Here's a possibility although report quotes the 21st

Debris

[doug]

     I don`t think that the tumbling object was a bird, as has been suggested.  I agree that it could have been space junk or a small rock or summat like that.  But the kids still thought that it was great seeing a UFO in the sky.

     Is it a bird ... is it a plane ... ??????????

     Doug.