And despite earlier reports that it would not come screaming and flaming into the skies of the U.S., that might have changed. The latest projections, as of Friday evening is that the space junk would come down in the overnight hours. Read more
I've never seen anything quite like this before, seen lots of satellites crossing over before and the odd shooting star but this was much much brighter. Took me quite by surprise.
It sounds like a meteor... The satellite moves like a plane / Cylon Starfighter, and takes a couple of minutes to cross the sky... moving west to east.
But, the satellite may have shed some material (satellite satellite material?) that rapidly burned up like a meteor though...It was crossing the sky at that time.
I've just seen (approx 2.35am BST) a bright green streak pass over, about ESE, best described like a falling firework but travelling more horizontally. Lasted for about a second. Was this the satellite?
Nasa, which owns the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), estimates it will break into about 26 parts, the heaviest weighing about 158kg, which is equivalent to a very large person. The debris will include three batteries, four wheel rims and four fuel tanks, and their speed when they hit the ground or the ocean will vary. Read more
Ed ~ there are anecdotal stories of people dodging cannonballs during the Crimean war.