What in the world is this "thing"?

Here's something similar I took some years ago. Unfortunately I had the 50-135 and it was gone by the time I got the 150-500 out. It's either a weather balloon or a high altitude balloon

[IMG]http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc222/Oggy3323/UFO1.jpg[/IMG]

my serious guess is this.. lot's of people these days are using helium balloons to try to launch cameras and cell phones into the stratosphere:
link

I'm going with the scientific ballon of some sort possibily not necessarily weather. It's clearly a ballon with something below, not a chinese lantern nor a kids ballon and a ballon science instrument the most likely thing to see at that size at that sort of altitude.

Has also been done with a K10D

http://blog.flickr.net/en/2008/07/28/pentax-k10d-in-space/

As for apparently changing size, it may have just changed its angle compared to you. Consider the different appearance of an airliner head-on, from the side, and from above or below.

I once stayed on a campsite near an RAF base. A couple of large aircraft took off at night. The spooky part was that you'd see these lights moving silently, then the noise would hit you as the aircraft turned. If you were far enough away it'd be easy to see this large shape moving silently and in an odd way rather than identifying it.

A recent attempt by the local tabloids to start a UFO flap here was rather squashed when someone pointed out that the video looked like someone messing about with a torch in their basement, and that the location mentioned had a perfect line of sight for an Army artillery range which frequently fired star shells at night...

Me too!

Seeing your house I can sympathise Archie. There were no thatch fires at New year thank heavens. We have a few thatched houses in our street (though nowhere near as lovely as yours) and I always worry about them with all the fireworks!.

Yes I always get nervous as 5th November approaches.

It's a genuine bona fide UFO. Yep! it's an object, it's flying, and, as proved on this very board, nobody knows what it is.

This is why I get irritated by the occasional witless media type talking about "belief in UFOs". It isn't a matter for belief. That'd be like believing in the toaster! A UFO is anything flying that you can't identify.

Now, what you believe UFOs to be is something else entirely. I'm firmly convinced that they're "black" military projects. Consider the SR-71 Blackbird and the fact that this design dated from the 1950s (as the A-12, which was developed into the SR-71). Compare a 1950s fighter plane to a current one. Considering how much is generally spent on the top secret kit I would suggest some truly remarkable aircraft are lurking in the shadows.

I want to believe it's some sort of weather balloon, but my imagination is siding with Dangermouse on this one.

Or maybe it's that HAARP device.

Does NOT look like a weather balloon, IMHO!

Does look a bit like a toy helium filled balloon, you know, the ones with a crimped edge? With another deflated balloon attached by ribbon.

Those Chinese Lanterns might get banned here too, according to our local newspaper.

I could be wrong, but I reckon the thing in the bottom of the picture is a passenger jet. There is also a small object further up in the frame that, unbelievably, no-one has noticed yet. I think that's a white bunny-rabbit, tied to a doughnut balloon - the type that old folks sit on after experiencing a "procedure" in the rear-most pants area.
Regards

I'd be inclined to adopt the "toy helium balloon or bunch of balloons" theory too. Weather balloons are huge things and if it was at the same altitude as the jet would cause something of a panic at ATC. I would imagine their launch is restricted to areas well away from the normal air corridors for this reason!

Just to put my sighting in context, comparing it to a to a 747 in the sky I would estimate it at something around 200ft tall.

Chinese lantern - no.