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And we don't know what it is! This is a screen grab from Photoshop with the original zoomed 100%, the artifact is about 10" over and about half an inch down. While almost everything else is streaking in an ascending to the upper right direction, this one is descending to the lower right, or SE direction.
There's a web site called heavens-above.com that will tell you satellite orbits above you based on your location, and nothing really matches what is in the picture. My wife, who only has a PhD in astronomy and astrophysics and works as a professional astronomer, thinks it's a reflection off a power line. Notice those dark streaks in the photo? Those are power lines. But there's a slight breeze, and considering the length of exposure, I think that would distort the image.
Based on the timing of the exposure, i.e. knowing that the length of one trail represents about 15 minutes, and that the anomaly is at pretty much a right angle to the celestial equator, she thinks it might be a satellite in a geosynchronous orbit but much further out.
So here's the image, at 100%:
We might go out again tonight and repeat the exposures twice from both ends of the observing pier to try to counter where the power lines appear. We'll see what happens.
There's a web site called heavens-above.com that will tell you satellite orbits above you based on your location, and nothing really matches what is in the picture. My wife, who only has a PhD in astronomy and astrophysics and works as a professional astronomer, thinks it's a reflection off a power line. Notice those dark streaks in the photo? Those are power lines. But there's a slight breeze, and considering the length of exposure, I think that would distort the image.
Based on the timing of the exposure, i.e. knowing that the length of one trail represents about 15 minutes, and that the anomaly is at pretty much a right angle to the celestial equator, she thinks it might be a satellite in a geosynchronous orbit but much further out.
So here's the image, at 100%:
We might go out again tonight and repeat the exposures twice from both ends of the observing pier to try to counter where the power lines appear. We'll see what happens.
