Anyone else see this???

I was watching the wonderful summer triangle on the rise tonight when I noticed something very strange. I was scanning the area with 15x70's when suddenly for about 2.5 seconds there was a tremendous brightening of 31 Cygni or possibly below it. This was about 11:30 or so (damn should have kept better time). I immediately trained the scope on it and have been watching it ever since but have not seen it happen again, nor any indication that anything unusual had happened. I am beginning to doubt I saw anything but at the time it was so bright that I was going to call our Dave Mac to check for SN activity (glad I didn't now). If anyone else noticed anything unusual in this part of the galaxy please let me know. Must be going doo-lally (first clear night in ages) :oops:

Darn it. When I read the thread title, I was hoping you were going to confirm a second sighting of what I saw tonight. I wasn't looking at Cygnus at the time you mention though I was later on. Not really familiar with it yet, so its not like I would have spotted anything out of the ordinary anyway.

As for what I saw. Twas midway between the tail of leo and arcturus. I was pretty sure it was an iridium. Confirmed by Starry Night Pro and Heavens above, though Starry Night Said it was iridium 3 and Heavens above said it was 44. This was approx 1.00am.

Anyway, Thrilled I happened to be looking at the area of sky to catch one by accident. In the middle of the flare though coming from the west at zenith I catch something in the corner of my eye. My eyes dart to it and I think, cool a meteor intersecting the northerly course of the iridium at a right angle, in the middle of a flare at that.......except this meteor didn't fade quickly. It stayed the same brightness and as it was reaching the area the iridium was in its course arced quickly to the south. It was way, way too fast to be a satellite. Meteor speeds, hence why I think meteor except I have never seen a meteor last from when I saw it at zenith till it disappeared below the roof of the house, and I have certainly never seen what looked like a straight course and then suddenly it arced quickly to a new course at right angles to its original trajectory.

Is this arcing just a function of the fact that it was relly high up and lasted long enough for me to see its arc course, around the curvature of earth?? ie. if your regular meteor streak weren't so short lived, would one also be able to discern it was on an arcing course rather than it looking like its traveling in a straight line across the sky?

Keith,

Might have been a Aquarid you saw, they typically last long and the timing would be right, although an arcing path ???