what did I see?

Question

last night I was having my break about 3.30am (I work nights). I noticed it was a beautiful night, really clear, I could see all the consolations i.e. orions belt, the plough etc. However, I watched for a while something I couldn't understand. It was a huge object, with lights that were triangular, we live on a flight path to Manchester airport and are used to seeing planes so I knew it wasn't a plane, it was much bigger, it was huge! Plus there was no sound (we can hear planes going over even when they are a dot in the sky) neither were the lights red or green as they would be on a plane nor was there a vapour trail, which there was with a plane that passed over less than five minutes after I saw this. Although it looked to be moving relatively fast, it wasn't as fast as a plane, couldn't get over the size, did I see the space station? whatever it was awesome! So please don't post abusive comments, I only want to know what I saw. xxx

sorry I meant constellations

Before you ask! No I was not stone/pissed or anything else, remember I work nights!!! What I saw was awesome, it was not a plane I don't want you to answer if it's going to be rude or ignorant or objectionable, I only want to know what it was I saw! xxx

Stever_sr. Thanks hun, but this was no laser show. xx It was triangular, there were 3 lights, 2 at the front one at the back I watched it for about 5/7 mins. How do I know that, I was having a ciggie, a marlborough, not anything stronger than that!!!

Answer 1

You probably saw the Beluga, which is a common sight around Chester. It is the Transport aircraft which flies the A300 Airbus wings from B.Ae at Hawarden to Toulouse, where the A300 is assembled. It is a large aircraft (I would estimate larger than the 747) but is designed to fly (at least on approach) relatively slowly, so as to be able to land on Hawarden's relatively short (5-6,000 foot) runways. As you may know, most modern jets operate off 2 mile (10-12000 foot) runways, hence the relatively slow approach speed of the Beluga. I estimate it's approach speed at no more than 120 knots, probably less, compared to most airliners' approach speed of 150-160 knots.

Answer 2

The easy part first -- it couldn't have been the Space Station, that looks like a tiny little dot of light because it's so far up. If what you saw looked really big then I'd guess a blimp. They're pretty silent compared to aircraft. Many years ago I saw something at night -- a whirling disk-like pattern of lights. I watched it for about 30 seconds and just before it went out of sight behind something (I was a passenger in a car) I realized it was a helicopter with some sort of round display board hanging under it, with chasing lights spelling out some kind of ad. If I had gone out of sight a few seconds earlier I'd have been convinced I'd seen something from another world!

Answer 3

I don't know what you saw, but some time ago I saw something in the night sky which looked uncannily like a flying saucer and scared the living daylights out of me - until I realised it was the laser light show from an outdoor pop concert! Could what you saw have been something similar?

Answer 4

Starship Entrerprise. Sorry, couldn't resist it.

Answer 5

It was NASA bringing a telephone for E.T.

Answer 6

Project Greenglow must be further ahead than we thought.

I can say no more than that.

Answer 7

since we don't know we call it UFO
U-unidentified
F-flying
O-object