Ron Lee Wrote: >I saw a weather balloon a month or so ago that could have appeared >as described. In binoculars it was obvious what it was but naked >eye at more distance it could be an unexplained stellar like object. Sunlit balloons in a dark sky can be very, very bright indeed: A few years ago in Toulouse, France I was fortunate enough to spot a large scientific balloon rising to its float altitude, appearing as a small oval disc to the naked eye. Despite having a slant range of at least 50-60km the payload under balloon, as well as details in the balloon envelope were easy to discern through my 6" telescope . After sunset the balloon, which was west of my location, remained backlit by the sun. appearing as a brillantly glowing oval in the darkening sky until it earths shadow rose to its altitude. As a result of receiving hundreds of calls about "the UFO" that evening the local radio & TV station ran a story on the balloon flight:-) Best wishes & clear skies, ----------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe from SeeSat-L by sending a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@lists.satellite.eu.org http://www2.satellite.eu.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat May 26 2001 - 11:53:11 PDT