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Bright Objects on the Morning Western Sky Near Malad Idaho

-- Curt | March 1, 2020

Question:

As I was making my morning walk at about 6:05 a.m. in Malad, Idaho, I observed two bright stars as I looked to the west, avout 45 degrees above the horizon. The brightness was as I think of a morning star, bright enough to get my attention. They seemed stationary relative to other stars and relative to each other.I thought of checking on the computer when I returned home to see what planets could be close together at this time. I thought planets, since the stars didn’t twinkle. I had no more than had the thought to look on the computer, when one of the stars faded away. Not instantly, but in a second or two. I continued to watch the remaining star for a few seconds and then it faded similarly. I don’t think these could have been satellites, since they were stationary. Do you have any idea what this could have been?

Thanks for your thoughts.
Curt

-- Curt

Answer:

All of the naked-eye visible planets are rising in the east in the morning this time of year, so it is unlikely that what you saw were planets. Satellites are a possibility, as you suggest, as they tend to disappear as they move to lower elevation on the sky.

-- Jeff Mangum

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