Question:
I saw an aircraft flying over, about two hours after sunset with a pair of bright, large, constantly on, orange lights. I'm wondering what kind of aircraft this could have been.
More details:
- Latitude - Longitude: 43.1, 25.4 (central Bulgaria)
- Date: 8 August 2021
- Time (approximately): 22:30 EEST (Sofia, Bulgaria)
- Estimated direction: flying from NNE to SSW
- Estimated height: unsure, but I'm guessing at least several kilometers up (see below)
Additional information:
We were stargazing with a group of adults and children, looking north towards the Perseus constellation, looking out for meteors from the Perseids meteor shower.
At some point we saw two bright orange lights approaching from the north at a constant speed. They were not blinking, but permanently on. They were also quite large (not the blinking green/red dots I'm used to seeing on airliners). And we could see them as round shapes, much bigger than stars or planets, but much smaller than the moon. They appeared about the size of the tip of a pencil eraser. The craft passed straight overhead and then continued flying in a straight line until it disappeared out of sight. I estimate we were able to see it for at least a minute. We were able to see a good portion of the night sky from our location, I estimate at least 120 degrees. We didn't hear any sound coming off it and with the naked eye there were no other lights. However, looking with binoculars, a regularly flashing white light was visible between the orange lights. This light was set a fraction to the rear of the craft, but more or less between the orange lights.
The orange lights appeared to me as circles all the time, while the craft was coming towards us, while overhead, and while flying away from us. So in my mind they must have been sphere shaped.
I checked where the ISS was at that time with this ISS Tracker and it appears that was above northwest Australia, so nowhere near.
What kind of aircraft could this have been?