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Bright Objects Near Aldebaran

-- Floyd | July 16, 2020

Question:

Hello, my wife and I were stargazing this morning (5am EST, July 15). We were using our telescope to catch Venus glowing very bright this morning. While in that area, we noticed an object that we believe to be Aldebaran. Whilst viewing, the object was observed to be more than just a single source. There appears to be 2 or 3 objects spinning around each other at a high speed. We have seen “twinkling ” stars before, and understand the atmospheric effect on light. This was not that. This was 2 or 3 objects clearly spinning around each other. Our question is whether a viewer on earth can actually see a cluster of stars rotating around each other? One other point of viewing was that the relative movement of the object seemed to be faster in reference to Venus transiting. We literally had to move the telescope every 30 seconds to keep it centered. Any ideas?

-- Floyd

Answer:

It is difficult to know what the bright objects were that you noticed near Aldebaran on July 15. It is possible that you were seeing a cluster of the Starlink satellites that have been launched into orbit over the past few years. You can determine their visibility for your location on this web site.

-- Jeff Mangum

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