01-25-2023, 06:46 AM
There was a SpaceX launch on the 19th, but the times don't match up right now with your photo. All I can say right now is that it's most likely not an astronomical object but something man-made. I would still like confirmation you didn't see it in other photos or if you did, it was always in the same place relative to the stars (i.e., it's not something on the camera lens).
To me, it looks like a rocket launch with the rocket still firing its engines, or just stopping firing them, above the atmosphere. The color is consistent with other observations of rockets entering space and the diffuse cloud around the object means it has to be quite nearby, the camera would detect a nebula, galaxy, or anything like that.
Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to check this out more right now but will do it. According to KITV, the Jan 18th launch provided this sight over the islands:
https://youtu.be/qRsuhP9wvNw
So you can see what I think right now, I just can't tie everything up in terms of time and date. I also doubt very much the fuel would hang around that long for it to be visible to a normal camera hours after the event. You can see in the video how quickly it fades even with a camera optimized for night-time conditions.
To me, it looks like a rocket launch with the rocket still firing its engines, or just stopping firing them, above the atmosphere. The color is consistent with other observations of rockets entering space and the diffuse cloud around the object means it has to be quite nearby, the camera would detect a nebula, galaxy, or anything like that.
Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to check this out more right now but will do it. According to KITV, the Jan 18th launch provided this sight over the islands:
https://youtu.be/qRsuhP9wvNw
So you can see what I think right now, I just can't tie everything up in terms of time and date. I also doubt very much the fuel would hang around that long for it to be visible to a normal camera hours after the event. You can see in the video how quickly it fades even with a camera optimized for night-time conditions.