This question "what is this thing that looks like the ISS that i'm able to see in the sky with a telescope in my backyeard" has been asked a few times with
several different answers:
1. Some sort of aircraft
2. Some sort of naturally occurring space debris like an asteroid.
3. A weather balooon
4. A high altitude station which is not in space.
How do any of these explanations account for when you see the ISS through a telescope like with this footage?
(Raw footage in description)
I mean, that's got to be one really weird airplane (one that probably couldn't fly if you tried to build what you saw), sure doesn't look like a rock, doesn't look like a balloon either, and to my knowledge, the high altitude stations you're referencing are like the HAA's Lockheed Martin has, and those are basically blimps (unless you meant something else by high altitude station).
It could be some sort of high altitude experimental aircraft. I don't know.
Some people would disagree when you claim that it does not look like a rock.
Some people would disagree when you claim that it does not look a balloon.
It could be a high altitude solar panel.
So what is it these independent astronomers are seeing?
What these independent astronomers are seeing has already been listed in my response:
1. Some sort of experimental or oddly shaped aircraft
2. Some sort of naturally occurring space debris like an asteroid.
3. some sort of experimental or oddly shaped weather balloon
4. A high altitude station which is not in space.
5. Some sort of upper atmosphere disturbance which causes light from the sun to refract in a specific way
(please keep in mind that I could provide many other things what you are seeing is)
Furthermore I'm unaware of what equipment is being used to lock onto and follow something that is moving that fast up in the sky.
Look at this video. An independent astronomer with a telescope/camera and a tripod is unable to "track" this moving aircraft/rock/balloon/mirage/upper atmosphere station. It just zips by. In the video you presented it looks like it is from some sort of professional observatory which very likely could be getting some sort of NASA funding.
Are they too under NASA's payroll? Are we just seeing CGI or a model or something?
Some of them could be on the NASA's payroll. I would venture to say that a majority of the FE community would not say that some guy with a camera and a tripod who sees this is on the NASA payroll. A big name observatory, which created the video you have shown, could very possibly be getting some sort of NASA funding.
What you are seeing is not a CGI model. What you are seeing is:
1. Some sort of experimental or oddly shaped aircraft
2. Some sort of naturally occurring space debris like an asteroid.
3. some sort of experimental or oddly shaped weather balloon
4. A high altitude station which is not in space.
5. Some sort of upper atmosphere disturbance which causes light from the sun to refract in a specific way
(please keep in mind that I could provide many other things what you are seeing is)