Question Question on unidentified object

Mar 23, 2023
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First time posting here brand new account, hello space.com users.

I'm trying to figure out what I've seen then through my binoculars.

On Christmas last year, at around 12am, December 25th, I was stargazing with my 8x binoculars when I came across a red object flying through the sky and i followed it.
The red object was circular, transparent and was about twice the size of a star. It didn't have a defined border but rather similar to a red circular glow moving through the sky at a constant rate. I tracked it for a bit until my vision was blocked. If I remembered correctly, it was traveling down towards the horizon.

I was observing from the suburbs of Hanoi, Vietnam, under Bortle class 7. I was facing around 315° NE.

Hopefully you all can help me identify what it was. Thank you very much !
 
First time posting here brand new account, hello space.com users.

I'm trying to figure out what I've seen then through my binoculars.

On Christmas last year, at around 12am, December 25th, I was stargazing with my 8x binoculars when I came across a red object flying through the sky and i followed it.
The red object was circular, transparent and was about twice the size of a star. It didn't have a defined border but rather similar to a red circular glow moving through the sky at a constant rate. I tracked it for a bit until my vision was blocked. If I remembered correctly, it was traveling down towards the horizon.

I was observing from the suburbs of Hanoi, Vietnam, under Bortle class 7. I was facing around 315° NE.

Hopefully you all can help me identify what it was. Thank you very much !
Sounds like a satellite.
 
Distant objects near the horizon in a polluted atmosphere (smoke, pollen, aerosols, etc.) will redden all light. That's why a white setting Sun looks yellow or orange, and even red when forest fire smoke affects it.

Perhaps a distant plane, with landing lights, was descending to land.

Is there a small runway, even private, in that direction?

Or it may have been a helicopter searching around.

Just guessing.
 
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Mar 23, 2023
2
1
15
Visit site
Distant objects near the horizon in a polluted atmosphere (smoke, pollen, aerosols, etc.) will redden all light. That's why a white setting Sun looks yellow or orange, and even red when forest fire smoke affects it.

Perhaps a distant plane, with landing lights, was descending to land.

Is there a small runway, even private, in that direction?

Or it may have been a helicopter searching around.

Just guessing.

There is indeed an airport in that direction. I guess it was a distant airplane then. Thank you all.
 
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Reactions: Helio
Distant objects near the horizon in a polluted atmosphere (smoke, pollen, aerosols, etc.) will redden all light. That's why a white setting Sun looks yellow or orange, and even red when forest fire smoke affects it.

Perhaps a distant plane, with landing lights, was descending to land.

Is there a small runway, even private, in that direction?

Or it may have been a helicopter searching around.

Just guessing.
Couldn't help myself. "Distant objects near the horizon in a polluted atmosphere .... redden all light." Such as a very "polluted" universe?
 
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