[cjones26]

I have also seen something similar at Surfside Beach, SC. I was in a hot tub, star gazing, and watched what I thought to be a satellite actually intersect another object and make a sharp 90 degree turn before disappearing. Still no idea what it was to this day!

[daveslash]

Is it possible that you witnessed a collision? I don't recall having seen what appeared to be an intersection. But if it was a satellite, then it's possible that there was a second one up there that wasn't angled correctly to reflect light and be seen from the ground - maybe I witnessed a collision, in which only 1 of the 2 objects was angled/big-enough to be visible? Do others on HN know how often collisions occur?

Edit: Did both objects change direction, or just 1 of the 2?

[modeless]

An orbital collision would not cause an object to change direction 90 degrees. Satellites are not billiard balls. They are traveling at ten thousand miles per hour plus. Collisions at that speed result in two debris clouds that are largely traveling in approximately the same direction as before.

I would hazard a guess that you saw two objects that appeared to cross paths at the time one was disappearing and the other was appearing. Could be planes or satellites. Both can abruptly appear or disappear as they enter or exit shadow, or as they turn and reflect light in a different direction.