Iridium Satellite Flare

An Iridium flare is caused when sunlight reflects off one of the antennas of an Iridium communication satellites. There are three polished door-sized antennas on each satellite and when they reflect sunlight, they can produce blinding flashes of light which last for several seconds, usually on the order of 0 to -8 magnitude, of which the latter can be theoretically seen during the day. The above image shows such as flash and was estimated to be approximately 0 magnitiude. The dim line shows the nominal brightness of the satellite while the center portion shows the actual "flash." At the website, Heavens Above, you can enter your geographical coordinates and generate a listing of Iridium flare predictions in your area.

Image Specifications:

     •  Instrument:  Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 lens @ f2.8
     •  Camera:  Canon 20Da
     •  Filters:  None
     •  Mount:  Fixed Tripod
     •  Guiding:  None
     •  Time / Date :  August 16, 2006
     •  Location:  Coyle Field, NJ
     •  Weather:  Clear, 70degF, no wind
     •  Primary Exposure :  Single 20sec exposure, ISO 1600, JPG mode
     •  Calibration Frames:  None
     •  Image Processing :  Images Plus, Photoshop CS2, PixInsightLE, NoiseNinja