27-28 January - UK Observed

neilwilkes · 2008-01-28 03:11:20

I wonder if anyone can possibly tell me what caused the strange sight from the lower left of Mars last night please?
It looked as if there was a horizontal line to the lower left.
First saw it when Mars was in the East, and assumed it was atmospheric and left it alone.
A couple of hours later, I looked again - and it was still there.

Can someone tell me what caused this please?

cIclops · 2008-01-28 05:01:41

Any more details? Time of Observations, length of line, thickness, color?

Some atmospheric phenomena are persistent, for example high altitude noculescent clouds.

Space Weather has an amazing variety of real effects

neilwilkes · 2008-01-28 05:17:21

Hard to be certain on the times.
First time was when Mars must have been at around 80 degrees from vertical plane - 8 ish? Maybe between 7 and 8PM.
Second time was much later, shortly after Sirius had just become visible, and I could see Mars on almost a vertical line following up from Orion's Belt.

Line was same colour as Mars was.
Reddish-orange.
No Binoculars so could not use anything apart from eyeball.
It did not look like something I have ever seen near Mars before, and my first thought was it was atmospheric, of course.
It was only when i saw it the second time and it was still there, still in the same place, despite Mars moving quite a distance in the sky since previous time.

I wish I could explain it better.
Imagine a large 0 is mars.
The line would have looked something like _0 in relationship to it.

cIclops · 2008-01-28 05:25:11

M 35 perhaps? It would appear to track with Mars and is just southwest of Mars right now.

neilwilkes · 2008-01-28 07:03:13

M 35 perhaps? It would appear to track with Mars and is just southwest of Mars right now.

If this is a spiral galaxy, then that could indeed be it.
I will check again tonight as well, and note times etc.

neilwilkes · 2008-02-01 12:54:39

It's still there.
And unless it is a sideways on Spiral galaxy, then that is not the answer.

What is this please?

cIclops · 2008-02-04 03:16:34

This sky map and binoculars ought to help

neilwilkes · 2008-02-04 04:00:50

This sky map and binoculars ought to help

Not Really!!
Don't have Binocs - sadly - but can v. clearly see this naked eye.
The closest to what I can see - every night - is the tiny un-named star at around 7 o'clock on that map.
All I really want to know is - is this a galaxy, is it a sideways-on spiral arm one, and if not then WTF is it?

cIclops · 2008-02-04 10:30:10

M35 is a large cluster and nebula, about 150 times the angular size of Mars but it's very faint at Mag 5.5 compared with -0.5 for Mars right now. The large angular size of M35 together with a clear sky means you may just be able to see it with the naked eye. Try some binoculars, they are great for clusters.

neilwilkes · 2008-02-04 13:51:09

Then what I am looking at is not M35 then.
It is exactly like a line, starting at 7 O'Clock and going horizontally away from Mars.

What is it please?
I wish I could get a photo of it, as it's been there a week now, and tracks along when Mars moves as well.
VERY odd, as it was certainly not there a few weeks ago.

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#1 2008-01-28 03:11:20

Re: 27-28 January - UK Observed

#2 2008-01-28 05:01:41

Re: 27-28 January - UK Observed

#3 2008-01-28 05:17:21

Re: 27-28 January - UK Observed

#4 2008-01-28 05:25:11

Re: 27-28 January - UK Observed

#5 2008-01-28 07:03:13

Re: 27-28 January - UK Observed

#6 2008-02-01 12:54:39

Re: 27-28 January - UK Observed

#7 2008-02-04 03:16:34

Re: 27-28 January - UK Observed

#8 2008-02-04 04:00:50

Re: 27-28 January - UK Observed

#9 2008-02-04 10:30:10

Re: 27-28 January - UK Observed

#10 2008-02-04 13:51:09

Re: 27-28 January - UK Observed

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