What is that flashing thing?

[Night Train]

When Arch and I were at Southport beach at the weekend we noticed a flashing light at Blackpool.
On the horizon we could see the outline of the roller coaster and to the left was a big rectangular flashing thing that must be the size of a building. I took some video but the flash is no more then a pixel sized dot. So I took some photos, zoomed in as far as my phone camera could manage, to catch the flash.
Here are the ones that show it best.

The flash is irregular but a very definite flash rather then a flicker.
We figured it might be a ride or an advertising thing but Streetview is from 2009 and doesn't show anything obvious.

So what is it?

 

[Arch]

At first we thought it was the sun reflecting off something, but if it was, the something was moving, intermittently - it wasn't a regular flash like a lighthouse, but an irregular flicker.

Also, as we watched, the sun caught a window or something further along the shoreline, and the colour of the reflected light was slightly different - the flashing thing had a very slight blueish tinge.

 

[classic33]

Blackpool UFO.

 

[ColinJ]

We have the forum ride technology ...

 

[Night Train]

Yebut, what is it?
A giant disco ball?

And how it is doing the irregular rectangular flashing light thing?

 

[ColinJ]

Yebut, what is it?
A giant disco ball?

Yes!

And how it is doing the irregular rectangular flashing light thing?

It is covered in rectangular mirrors and it rotates!

(PS You might need to click the black rectangle above to discover the embedded video!)

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

the world’s largest rotating mirrorball. Located on the South Shore sculptural development, the mirrorball is visible for miles around from the air, and gives an amazing light show on the pavement around it. With the slightly curious name, “They Shoot Horses Don’t They”, the structure was built in 2002 by Michael Trainor and his students.

 

[TVC]

Blackpool - a real classy place

 

[Night Train]

Yes!

It is covered in rectangular mirrors and it rotates!

(PS You might need to click the black rectangle above to discover the embedded video!)

Ahhhh, so the flash, the size of a large building, is from just one of the mirrors.

 

[ColinJ]

Ahhhh, so the flash, the size of a large building, is from just one of the mirrors.

On second thoughts ...

Looking at my OS map, and the angles from your photos, I reckon you were seeing a reflection from a ship bobbing about on the sea!

The Pleasure Beach is next to the shore and you were not out to sea miles away from the shoreline yourselves, so for the flash to be well to the west of the PB, it can't be coming from an object on the land.

 

[Night Train]

Here's a video if it helps identify it. The flash is just a pixel in the middle of the screen.

 

[MontyVeda]

I'm guessing... a huge silver marquee on the end of one of the piers, fabric walls, blowing in the wind and reflecting the sun intermittently... maybe.