Initial info: My girlfriend and a couple of her friends where at Lake Hefner on this past Sunday evening and were taking pictures out over the lake. When they returned home and asked me to download their digital photos, a strange glowing object appeared on this shot, that seems to be streaking in a northeasterly direction.

I have absolutely no idea what it could have been as the girls didn't remember noticing anything, but the next picture taken immediately after this one shows no sign of it. The only difference in the two shots is that the first had the flash on. I left the first picture at full size so that you could enlarge it and see what you think it is and I promise you it is no hoax on anyone's part. Normally, I'd write something like this off as an anomaly on the lens, but in fact, there seems to be a trail extending out of the back that wouldn't seem likely on a streaking falling star. Any explainations you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Follow up - Images sent to Wayne Harris-Wyrick

I received a call from Chellie Mills at KFOR Channel 4. They received the following email and attached pictures. At Hayden's request, I checked for passage of ISS. It was not visible Sunday evening. It was last visible in the evening on October 25, so even if they got the wrong day (Saturday instead of Sunday) or wrong week (Sunday 10/28 instead of 11-4) there was no chance it was the Space Station. There was an iridium flare that evening, but in the northeast, and this picture was taken from the east side of Lake Hefner, looking west sometime after sunset. On 11-4, sunset occurred at 5:32 p.m., and civil twilight (sun 6 degrees below horizon) occurred at 5:59, so those two time bracket the time the digital images were taken. I do not know any detail of the camera, it's effective ISO or how that changes with flash on/off.

Wayne Harris-Wyrick, Celestial Wizard
Director, Kirkpatrick Planetarium