What did I see last night?...

[serdr]

Hi;

I'm not sure if this is the proper section to post this question in, but I don't know where to go to ask about these types of things....

I was walking my dog around the neighborhood after coming home from work last night. It was cool, and very clear, sharp skies. Could see all the stars and the Moon very sharp and very clear.

I happen to notice this unfamiliar bright star in the western sky, near the star Arcturus of Bootes. It came towards me, passing from west to east, and at first I thought it was a satellite, but there were two things wrong with it;

It was moving too slow, and it was traveling along inside of a very visible hazy patch of white light about the size of a quarter, almost as if it were a star shining though a hazy cloud layer....but there were no clouds or haze anywhere in the sky. Incidentally, as it passed nearby stars, those stars stayed clear so the hazy patch was VERY local to the point source.

Then as I watched, the haze took on the appearence of a funnel, or cone, very sharp and defined at first, then becoming more diffuse. It looked like someone was shining a flashlight though a fog. Then the end of the funnel grew bigger and separated farther and farther away from the point light source, and began to break up and become more diffuse eventually forming a big ring off to the side of the point light, about twice it's original size. Then the hazy white patch began separating from the bright point of light and began traveling ahead of it and to the side.

This continued on for quite awhile, as it took nearly 8 or 9 minutes to cross my sky from west to east, finally going below the treeline to the east, still appearing as a bright point of light with that bright hazy patch accompanying it off to the side.

About halfway through it's trek across my sky, it crossed paths with another obvious satellite which was traveling northbound, and I could tell the speed differences between the real satellite which moved faster that my object in question.

The whole time I watched it, it showed no signs of strobes or navigation lights like an airplane, and moved perfectly straight and steady just like a satellite, only a bit slower moving.

This occured between about 2:14am through 2:26am EDT where I live in Rochester, New York, last night, or actually early Sunday morning of June 19th.

I have always thought there should be some place to go to inquire about strange things people see at night, so I'm hoping this forum could help.
Thanks,

 

[COLGeek]

Sounds like a passing aircraft.

 

[billslugg]

Slow moving aircraft with its landing lights on. Not unusual, results in lots of confusion.

From FlightRadar24 most likely Delta Airlines flight 18, Detroit - London. Probably left their landing lights on after takeoff.

 

[Pogo]

Even though night-flying aircraft will display red and green lights and rotators and strobes, many aircraft I have seen from a far distance, I will see the landing lights (much like headlights on a car, and they leave them on all the time, not just for landing), which far outshine the other running lights. I am in southeastern Pennsylvania, and I can see aircraft in the landing pattern for Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York City at about 90 miles (145 km), nothing but landing lights are visible. Even though the weather is clear, the lights can be so bright as to light up the air in front, it can be hazy there and you don't know it.