Red Blob near Andromeda?

Two Sunday nights ago. Near size of full moon. Indistinct edges. Not quite round. A very faint, deep red. Stationary like a star. Easily seen scanning with 7/35 binos.

It's been raining since.

Has anyone seen this, or know what it is?

Good Seeing, walt

Judson Mitchell said:

could it be SAO36618?

Jud

Definitely not a star. Very extended, very dim, very red.

Good Seeing, Walt

Hoe close is close? There is nothing really near Andromeda Gallaxy, but above Andromeda in Cassiopeia there are large red objects like the Pacman Nebula, NGC281.

There was a sounding rocket mission that dumped some material into the upper atmosphere out of Wallops Island about that time to study noctilucent clouds, Since sounding rockets just go up and don't do the horizontal gravity turn to achieve orbital velocity, the clouds ejected can appear quite stationary from the ground. Were you in the Notheast USA at the time?

Dave

walter sikora said:

Two Sunday nights ago. Near size of full moon. Indistinct edges. Not quite round. A very faint, deep red. Stationary like a star. Easily seen scanning with 7/35 binos.

It's been raining since.

Has anyone seen this, or know what it is?

Good Seeing, walt