Spotted Something Unusual Just Now

[exo_doc]

I was outside with my Orion 20x80 binoculars checking out Venus before it went down. I spotted a bright light to the north west and immediately scoped it at 19:22 hrs EST.
It was at least a -3 magnitude in brightness, brighter than Venus by my estimation.
It was close to 55 deg declination, @ 21 hrs right ascension, halfway between Deneb in Cygnus and alpha Cephei in Cepheus.
It very quickly started to fade and had completely faded out by 19:25.
But it didn't just grow dimmer until it was gone. It spread out, and seemed to become too diffuse to see. I do not think, by my estimation, it grew bigger than 1/4 of a degree as it seemed to spread out.
One very puzzling aspect is that it did not move from the time I first began to observe it. It stayed in one spot.

Explosion? A meteor seen head on? I do not think it was some extra-solar event because it was over so quickly (appx 2 1/2 minutes).

I've posted strange things I've seen on here before, and gotten some good responses. What do you guys think? Any questions?

 

[Goggs Mackay]

mmmmm.....as Holmes might say, 'This is a three-pipe problem, Watson.'

 

[Jimi H.]

Maybe you got lucky and spotted a supernova exploding?

 

[PCarr]

Maybe you got lucky and spotted a supernova exploding?

That would just be a very bright point source, and it would stay bright for quite a while.

 

[Oakenwulf]

Venusian Construction again

 

[exo_doc]

The more I think about it guys, a more than possible explanation is maybe satellite debris colliding, perhaps a fuel tank or other was hit by a high velocity piece of orbiting junk. It was too fast an event for something galactic or extra-galactic, and the more I consider a meteor seen head-on, the less likely I think that to be because of the duration.
I'll probably never know, but I live for these mysteries that make you go "WTF?!?".

I've seen a lot of strange and inexplicable things out with my telescope at night over the years, I guess I'll just add this event to my collection.

 

[Randall]

My first guess would be Sun below the horizon reflecting of a distant high altitude contrail.

 

[exo_doc]

My first guess would be Sun below the horizon reflecting of a distant high altitude contrail.

I wouldn't discount that, but it was awful damn bright, and to be a contrail high enough for the sun to reflect off of...well, in my estimation, it would have to be almost orbital in height. I make this guess because the sun had set over 2 hours prior, and the sky was dark enough to see 5th mag stars unaided.
But it's a possibility.

 

[Randall]

I wouldn't discount that, but it was awful damn bright, and to be a contrail high enough for the sun to reflect off of...well, in my estimation, it would have to be almost orbital in height. I make this guess because the sun had set over 2 hours prior, and the sky was dark enough to see 5th mag stars unaided.
But it's a possibility.

You also had high power binoculars on it and you were looking somewhat west. I've seen similar sounding things here through my 15 x 70s. My house faces west and you can see the odd reflection of a distant contrail well after sunset. It's made me take pause more than once. Though I also have to admit that by your explanation, you sound very familiar with things in the sky, or at least know them well enough that if that's what it was, you probably would have figured that out yourself. It would have been interesting to see. Thanks for sharing!

 

[boomerang]

I love things that glow in the sky.

One of the usual suspects in this type of sighting is the so-called Iridium Flare, caused when large flat panels on certain types of earth orbiting satellites momentarily reflect sunlight at certain angles. They can appear as bright as magnitude -8.

Iridium Flares

But your sighting seems a bit long lived for this and the observed diffusion is odd. It's pretty safe to say there are all manner of exotic objects whizzing around up there, even just counting the ones that are man-made.