Start with motion and duration
A meteor usually crosses the visible sky in seconds. A satellite tends to move steadily for tens of seconds to several minutes. Aircraft commonly show rhythmic navigation or strobe lights and can appear nearly stationary when approaching. Planets and bright stars remain fixed relative to the landscape over a short observation. Aurora is extended across a region rather than a compact point.
Count the lights
A long, evenly spaced line of lights points toward a recently deployed satellite train more strongly than a single bright point does. Several lights that change spacing, blink independently or turn can instead be aircraft. One bright point does not become a satellite merely because it moves slowly; exact time and position matter.
Use evidence, not a label
Sky Event Radar combines your observation with available public data. A nearby aircraft can support an aircraft explanation. A CNEOS fireball record can support a fireball match. A high geomagnetic Kp index can support aurora at suitable latitudes. Missing records are not proof that an event did not occur.
Save uncertainty
A useful result says what fits, what conflicts and which sources were unavailable. The checker deliberately returns ranked candidate fits rather than claiming that a remote data feed can prove what your eyes saw.
Verification sources
Use NASA/JPL CNEOS, CelesTrak, ADSB.lol, NOAA SWPC and Launch Library 2 according to their coverage and time window. Sky Event Radar keeps missing evidence explicit.