I once saw a dot at night while looking at the stars that flew quite straight. I could see it with the naked eye. It had a constant speed. You can see lights flashing on an airplane, but this was not the case here. It looked like a star, but they normally stand still. I’ve seen it more than once. Did the ISS or another satellite point a light at us? Or is it the reflection of sunlight or moonlight?
Answer
Your description corresponds perfectly to a satellite: no flashing sidelights, more or less the same apparent speed in the sky… If you look at the sky for half an hour at night, you will certainly see some of them. Sometimes they suddenly disappear because they end up in the shadow of the Earth. A special kind are the satellites of the Irridum network. They can suddenly become much brighter than the brightest stars for a few seconds. That’s because they have large flat panels that act as a mirror to the sunlight. But a lamp; no they have not.
Answered by
prof.dr. Paul Hellings
Department of Mathematics, Fac. IIW, KU Leuven
Old Market 13 3000 Leuven
https://www.kuleuven.be/
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