Massive Burning Object Over UK??

[Duke]

Mysterious Massive Burning Object Tears Through Skies Above England

Anyone want to tell us what this "mysterious massive object" is?

 

[Paulm]

the crew returning from the ISS perhaps ???

 

[7Critter]

So, too slow for a meteor ?

 

[Debi]

Weds. night there were many sightings of "burning objects", including some over Peru and some over Phoenix. Those were thought to be meteors.

 

[crux]

Another one bites the dust.

 

[Duke]

It's the setting sun reflecting off an ordinary aircraft contrail.

 

[Debi]

It's the setting sun reflecting off an ordinary aircraft contrail.

Holy cow. I would not have thunk it!

 

[Lynne]

Our space program practicing
They hit some good pictures of it.

 

[crux]

Witnesses said it was spiraling and emitted flames. At least one of the photos does appear to show spiral movement in the trail.

I've never seen an aircraft spiral or emit flames as it passed overhead.

 

[Duke]

Witnesses said it was spiraling and emitted flames. At least one of the photos does appear to show spiral movement in the trail.

I've never seen an aircraft spiral or emit flames as it passed overhead.

Yeah, I read that. This witness isn't the first to inaccurately describe something he didn't understand. There were no flames, and the "spiral" effect is created by the dissipation of the contrail.

While looking for similar photos to illustrate what he saw, I came across this article. Explains the phenomena quite well.

Short Sunlit Contrails Look Like UFOs – Contrail Science