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I saw two bright lights near Jupiter and I’m pretty sure that it wasn’t just an airplane. It had almost the same level of brightness as Jupiter, and I was wondering what it could be. Can anyone explain me what it was?

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    $\begingroup$ When, where, what? When exactly did you see this. Where exactly did you see this. What exactly were you using to observe Jupiter? Exactly how far from Jupiter? Jupiter does have moons, but they are not "same level of brightness". No star has the same level of brightness as Jupiter at opposition, so this is not an astronomical observation. I have voted to close as there are insufficient details to answer. $\endgroup$
    – James K
    Commented Oct 15, 2022 at 15:28
  • $\begingroup$ Were you using a telescope or just looking with your eyes? As JamesK asks, how far away were they from Jupiter? You can imagine an outstretched hand or fist as a measuring stick for example. $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Oct 15, 2022 at 21:57

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It's not likely anyone can provide a definitive answer (certainly not without more specific details), but I can provide some possibilities.

I have been fooled by the sun reflecting off high altitude planes before. They appear motionless if traveling straight towards you, but were obviously planes when observed throught a scope. Landing lights on a plane or hellicopter are another posibility.

Another possibility is a high altitude balloon. A bit rarer than planes, the ones I have seen tend to "flare" a few minutes near sunset, but each balloon and location will be different.

The last likely possibility is a "geosynchronous flasher". These are reflections of the Sun off of satellites in geosynchronous orbit. Due to their distance from Earth, they can occurr well into the night.

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    $\begingroup$ I have downvoted, as I don't think this is a useful answer. It doesn't identify the lights and the range of options don't match the description. The suggestions here don't explain two lights (except as coincidence) The OP has already positively said "not a plane" And "geosynchronous flasher" seems unlikely given "two" and "near Jupiter", too many coincidences there. It is much better to wait to see if the OP can give details and then give a definitive answer (if on topic) or close (if not). $\endgroup$
    – James K
    Commented Oct 15, 2022 at 20:32
  • $\begingroup$ In this case I agree with JamesK, without a clear question with sufficient details, as as Stack Exchange answer this is not yet helpful. I'd recommend you delete it temporarily and wait for more details to emerge. $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Oct 15, 2022 at 21:51
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    $\begingroup$ It's not useful to ask the OP to provide more details unless there is an expectation that they will actually help answer the question. As I said in my answer, it's highly unlikely a definitive answer can be given, and that's the important point to take away. $\endgroup$
    – Greg Miller
    Commented Oct 16, 2022 at 2:33

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