<p>Last Sunday (23rd of June) I observed flashes of light during a field trip in the night sky with a period of approximately 14 seconds. I timed the interval between flashes with a stopwatch a few times, always obtaining a value very close to 14 seconds.</p>
<p>I saw the object from an approximate location of 26.726° N, 128.227° E, at around 11.55 UTC. I observed the object approximately looking towards Northwest from position, roughly at an elevation of 45°.</p>
<p>The object was moving, as every time it flashed I could clearly see the position had changed.</p>
<p>I describe the light as &quot;flashes&quot; as the visible feature was certainly of a larger diameter than the typical point-like light of stars seen with the naked eye. The closest description I can think of is that it looked somewhat similar to what a distant lighthouse would look like.</p>
<p>I also don't think it was some sort of meteor shower, since the flashes were not like an object moving with a tail, and also they were very regular at 14 s intervals.</p>
<p>I am also quite certain it was not a plane (at least, not like any other I've ever seen in the night sky), since it did not show any features of those (2 light spots, red and green light, intermittent flashes at much shorter interval).</p>
<p>So I am wondering what could it be? Could it be some sort of satellite with spinning parts (completing 1 revolution every 14 seconds) that reflected Sun light at the right angle once during each rotation?</p>
<p><strong>Update</strong>:</p>
<p>I found <a href="https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/52149/are-starlink-satellites-flaring">this question</a> about the possibility of flares from Starlink satellites. That might have been a possible candidate, since according to Heavens Above, there were quite a few Starlink satellites passing through the approximate location and time where I saw the feature. However, upon checking the video linked in the question (which seems to be of flares by Iridium satellites), what I saw certainly did not look like that sort of flare. The flares in the video are seen as a dot that initially appears of a given diameter, then as it moves it grows to a larger diameter, and then as it keeps moving shrinks, to eventually disappear, the full process taking well above 10 seconds.</p>
<p>What I saw where much shorter flashes (could not say exactly but I'd guess around 1 second long, probably less for each flash), and also the object could not be clearly seen moving as the flash was seen. My guess that it was a single object moving was rather based on the fact that every time the flash happened, it was at a different position, which seemed to follow a trajectory. But I guess it could also be flashes from different satellites?</p>
<p><strong>Update 2</strong>:</p>
<p>I would like to add a bit more of detail about the light flashes. The change over time of the light intensity would be well described by a triangle wave, happening over a very short period of time (1 second or less).</p>
<p>In fact, after checking the videos linked in the reply to the question mentioned before, the flashes seen in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cycLZQtM8HU" rel="nofollow noreferrer">one of them</a> at approximately second 10 looked quite similar to what I saw. The difference is that in the video, the Starlink satellites are visible for a long time before and after the stronger flashes, which was certainly not the case for my observation.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-06-26T04:01:44.313Z
There are many satellites that blink, flash, and flare. Heavens Above may be able to identify it based on the time and path through the sky. The satellite EPG is a likely candidate based on personal observations.
JohnHoltz
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-06-26T04:26:48.567Z
Thanks a lot! I didnt know about Heavens Above and it seems really useful. I checked with my approximate location and time and it seems there was a lot of Starlink satellites passing at an approximate maximum altitude around 45º and roughly in NW azimuth, so I wonder if it was in fact many different satellites and not just a single one moving as I originally thought? Also, may I ask what satellite is EPG? I tried to look it up but couldn't find anything
Rafa
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-06-26T16:41:14.133Z
My mistake. The satellite I was thinking of is EGP, not EPG. Satellite number 16908, Ajisai (EGP). But it does not match the position either.
JohnHoltz
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-06-28T00:41:16.750Z
While LED on a balloon (weather or otherwise) or a high-flying quadcopter, or maybe a slowly spinning object in orbit. More details on the flashes would be helpful - did they ramp up and down (like a triangle wace) or were they binary (on steadily, then off)? Right now I think it's hard to completely rule out anything.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-06-28T09:01:34.830Z
Just added some more details, and yes, indeed a triangle wave would describe it quite well!
Rafa
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-06-28T12:30:48.897Z
Okay, that helps, yeah. The intensity rising and falling rather than clicking on and off makes it much more likely to be a reflection off a rotating object, or off a series of moving objects as they pass a critical angle to your position, rather than an electrical device. A starlink train passing by with a very brief moment where a particularly reflective part is angled just right sounds like a possible culprit to me.
Darth Pseudonym
<amateur-observing><night-sky>
Light flashes in night sky with a ~14 second period?
Rafa
# Light flashes in night sky with a ~14 second period?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-06-25)

Last Sunday (23rd of June) I observed flashes of light during a field trip in the night sky with a period of approximately 14 seconds. I timed the interval between flashes with a stopwatch a few times, always obtaining a value very close to 14 seconds.

I saw the object from an approximate location of 26.726° N, 128.227° E, at around 11.55 UTC. I observed the object approximately looking towards Northwest from position, roughly at an elevation of 45°.

The object was moving, as every time it flashed I could clearly see the position had changed.

I describe the light as "flashes" as the visible feature was certainly of a larger diameter than the typical point-like light of stars seen with the naked eye. The closest description I can think of is that it looked somewhat similar to what a distant lighthouse would look like.

I also don't think it was some sort of meteor shower, since the flashes were not like an object moving with a tail, and also they were very regular at 14 s intervals.

I am also quite certain it was not a plane (at least, not like any other I've ever seen in the night sky), since it did not show any features of those (2 light spots, red and green light, intermittent flashes at much shorter interval).

So I am wondering what could it be? Could it be some sort of satellite with spinning parts (completing 1 revolution every 14 seconds) that reflected Sun light at the right angle once during each rotation?

**Update**:

I found [this question](https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/52149/are-starlink-satellites-flaring) about the possibility of flares from Starlink satellites. That might have been a possible candidate, since according to Heavens Above, there were quite a few Starlink satellites passing through the approximate location and time where I saw the feature. However, upon checking the video linked in the question (which seems to be of flares by Iridium satellites), what I saw certainly did not look like that sort of flare. The flares in the video are seen as a dot that initially appears of a given diameter, then as it moves it grows to a larger diameter, and then as it keeps moving shrinks, to eventually disappear, the full process taking well above 10 seconds.

What I saw where much shorter flashes (could not say exactly but I'd guess around 1 second long, probably less for each flash), and also the object could not be clearly seen moving as the flash was seen. My guess that it was a single object moving was rather based on the fact that every time the flash happened, it was at a different position, which seemed to follow a trajectory. But I guess it could also be flashes from different satellites?

**Update 2**:

I would like to add a bit more of detail about the light flashes. The change over time of the light intensity would be well described by a triangle wave, happening over a very short period of time (1 second or less).

In fact, after checking the videos linked in the reply to the question mentioned before, the flashes seen in [one of them](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cycLZQtM8HU) at approximately second 10 looked quite similar to what I saw. The difference is that in the video, the Starlink satellites are visible for a long time before and after the stronger flashes, which was certainly not the case for my observation.

**Tags:** amateur-observing, night-sky

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: There are many satellites that blink, flash, and flare. Heavens Above may be able to identify it based on the time and path through the sky. The satellite EPG is a likely candidate based on personal observations.  
> **username_0**: Thanks a lot! I didnt know about Heavens Above and it seems really useful. I checked with my approximate location and time and it seems there was a lot of Starlink satellites passing at an approximate maximum altitude around 45º and roughly in NW azimuth, so I wonder if it was in fact many different satellites and not just a single one moving as I originally thought? Also, may I ask what satellite is EPG? I tried to look it up but couldn't find anything  
> **username_1**: My mistake. The satellite I was thinking of is EGP, not EPG. Satellite number 16908, Ajisai (EGP). But it does not match the position either.  
> **username_2**: While LED on a balloon (weather or otherwise) or a high-flying quadcopter, or maybe a slowly spinning object in orbit. More details on the flashes would be helpful - did they ramp up and down (like a triangle wace) or were they binary (on steadily, then off)? Right now I think it's hard to completely rule out anything.  
> **username_0**: Just added some more details, and yes, indeed a triangle wave would describe it quite well!  
> **username_3**: Okay, that helps, yeah. The intensity rising and falling rather than clicking on and off makes it much more likely to be a reflection off a rotating object, or off a series of moving objects as they pass a critical angle to your position, rather than an electrical device. A starlink train passing by with a very brief moment where a particularly reflective part is angled just right sounds like a possible culprit to me.  

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## 0 answers

