Anyone any idea what these were?

I was driving home tonight at 8:30 when and I happened to glance up at
The big dipper.
I had to take a second look as it looked like there were 2 extra stars in it!
So much so I pulled over and rolled down the window for a better look.
There were 2 moving objects traveling parallel one in front of the other (separated by about 5deg. ) moving down through the 'handle'.
I did a quick search but found nothing.
Anyone any ideas?

Sounds like a pair of satellites. I've seen two and three satellites before, travelling "in convoy" in the same orbit and at the same speed (obviously!)

Phil.

Have a look at this link Frank for some information on this as a possible explanation…

Naval Ocean Surveillance System, [that means spy satellites to me]
satobs.org/noss.html#Intro

Quote: “One of the interesting sights in the night sky are the Naval Ocean Surveillance System (NOSS) satellite formations, each having two or three satellites in close proximity to one another. Normally these satellites are relatively dim to the unaided eye, but on occasion they brighten sufficiently to be easily seen in a dark sky”.

Regards and clear skies
Mike

Well Frank,
I have at times seen something like this, despite me missing nearly every meteor that has ever occurred, so you're not alone.

Sounds like the NOSS bit above. I have seen them a few times before, including the Triplet at Cosmos 2004.

Seanie.

Definitely sounds like a constellation of satellites. I've seen a few of these over the years including a tripplet which looked really cool.

Bart.