Iridium Flares

Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:02 pm » by **Wakemeup**

I never knew about Iridium flares until punjedi mentioned it to me in one of my posts. The 4 flashes in the sky that a witnessed were in one location and never moved so I'm not so sure it was multiple iridium flares or not. But there is that possibility. Heres some more info and a video on how to spot them and freak your friends out :cheers:

An Iridium flare is a specific type of satellite flare (also known as satellite glint) made when the antennas of an Iridium communication satellite reflect sunlight directly onto the surface of the Earth. Whoever is looking at the right spot at the right time will see a brief but bright flare in the sky which is sometimes brighter than Venus and even the Moon (when it's not full). However, you don't have to depend on sheer luck to see an Iridium flare. With data giving the location of the satellites around the Earth, a program can easily calculate the time at which an observer will see the sun's reflection on the antennas.

Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:34 pm » by **Wakemeup**

Shit....I lost connection. Heres the rest of the post.
http://www.wikihow.com/Find-an-Iridium-Flare
www.heavens-above.com

Want to mystify your family and friends with your command of the heavens? Tell them to step outside, point to a place in the sky and tell them that in a few moments, you will make a star appear and disappear! Only you will know when and where this happens. Just go to http://www.heavens-above.com and get Iridium flare predictions for your place on the planet. If you need GPS coordinates for your location, GoogleEarth is a good source. They will be blown away by your mastery of the skies! This particular flare was rated at -8 magnitude, which is almost the brightest one can see.

Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:37 pm » by **Punjedi**

Ok, first off, thank you for the link

I am gonna film some tonight if I can.

Secondly, I am sorry, I don't want you thinking I am derailing what you saw.

It is very possible you saw a rotating satellite yes, but it is possible that you saw something else.

I have been doing a crapload of debunking lately and I wanted to state that not everything to me has a reasonable explanation.

Now, having said that. If you see these again wake, you should use that software to determine if any sat's were in the area.

If no readings show, well then, you have a good basis for your theory. Don't forget to check ISS locations but that one is usually pretty easy to spot. Bright and haulin' butt

Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:42 pm » by **Punjedi**

Woot! Ones coming by tonight it seems.....

"Date: Wednesday, 02 February, 2011
Your Location: Chico (39.730°N, 121.832°W)
Time Zone: Pacific Standard Time (GMT - 8:00)
Satellite: Iridium 91
Antenna (MMA): Right
Flare centre is at: 39.753°N, 121.482°W
Distance to centre: 30.1 km (18.7 miles)

At your location At flare centre
Time: 19:02:53 19:02:51
Magnitude: -1 -8
Altitude: 38° 38°
Azimuth: 159° (SSE) 161° (SSE)
Mirror angle: 1.5° 0.0°

"
19:02:53 19:02:51 uh, that's 7:02 pm right? Sweet!

I'll try and capture it and post the result

Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:50 pm » by **Wakemeup**

punjedi wrote:Ok, first off, thank you for the link I am gonna film some tonight if I can.

Secondly, I am sorry, I don't want you thinking I am derailing what you saw.

It is very possible you saw a rotating satellite yes, but it is possible that you saw something else.

I have been doing a crapload of debunking lately and I wanted to state that not everything to me has a reasonable explanation.

Now, having said that. If you see these again wake, you should use that software to determine if any sat's were in the area.

If no readings show, well then, you have a good basis for your theory. Don't forget to check ISS locations but that one is usually pretty easy to spot. Bright and haulin' butt

No worries man

We all want to know the truth.....especially me :sunny:

So any info or ideas thrown my way are a good thing. It is amazing how many fakes are showing up these days but it is so much easier to achieve it now also. The guy making the Jerusalem fakes must be in tears from all the laughter. Thats a good idea punjedi and it would be cool trying this to bait your friends for fun once you get the hang of it. I'll give it a try and see if I can debunk myself :alien51:

Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:50 pm » by **Nilm33**

punjedi wrote:Ok, first off, thank you for the link I am gonna film some tonight if I can.

Secondly, I am sorry, I don't want you thinking I am derailing what you saw.

It is very possible you saw a rotating satellite yes, but it is possible that you saw something else.

I have been doing a crapload of debunking lately and I wanted to state that not everything to me has a reasonable explanation.

Now, having said that. If you see these again wake, you should use that software to determine if any sat's were in the area.

If no readings show, well then, you have a good basis for your theory. Don't forget to check ISS locations but that one is usually pretty easy to spot. Bright and haulin' butt

Just curious pun, what events have you encountered that havent been able to be debunked or explained?

Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:51 pm » by **Wakemeup**

punjedi wrote:Woot! Ones coming by tonight it seems.....

"Date: Wednesday, 02 February, 2011
Your Location: Chico (39.730°N, 121.832°W)
Time Zone: Pacific Standard Time (GMT - 8:00)
Satellite: Iridium 91
Antenna (MMA): Right
Flare centre is at: 39.753°N, 121.482°W
Distance to centre: 30.1 km (18.7 miles)

At your location At flare centre
Time: 19:02:53 19:02:51
Magnitude: -1 -8
Altitude: 38° 38°
Azimuth: 159° (SSE) 161° (SSE)
Mirror angle: 1.5° 0.0°

"
19:02:53 19:02:51 uh, that's 7:02 pm right? Sweet!

I'll try and capture it and post the result

Sweet

Look forward to it :dancing:

Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:59 pm » by **Punjedi**

nilm33 wrote:
punjedi wrote:Ok, first off, thank you for the link I am gonna film some tonight if I can.

Secondly, I am sorry, I don't want you thinking I am derailing what you saw.

It is very possible you saw a rotating satellite yes, but it is possible that you saw something else.

I have been doing a crapload of debunking lately and I wanted to state that not everything to me has a reasonable explanation.

Now, having said that. If you see these again wake, you should use that software to determine if any sat's were in the area.

If no readings show, well then, you have a good basis for your theory. Don't forget to check ISS locations but that one is usually pretty easy to spot. Bright and haulin' butt

Just curious pun, what events have you encountered that havent been able to be debunked or explained?

I knew someone would get around to asking me that.

For me personally, and mind you I mean this just for me. I have been able to explain every moment that I came across something strange. Even the stuff I have filmed/photgraphed.

There have been MANY times I was sure I finally caught the right one, or had just witnessed something extraordinary. Only, sometimes after much work, to find it was linked to something very real and ordinary.

This was a lot of the reasons I got into doing visual fx and 2d/3d work as because in using different tools throughout the years to try and gleam the truth, I became proficient enough at it to make some money here and there helping folks out with vehicle graphics, banner graphics etc.....

So, me? Nope. No ufo's or aliens. I have seen stealth weaponry, advanced military technology in action, and have been privy to see some of this planets amazing features from Aurora Borealis to the Grand Canyon, Frankfurt to Amsterdam, I.C.E trains and Haubbaunhopfs (spelling?

)

The real world is very fascinating I must say. But it doesn't stop me ever looking to the sky and hopefully one day, finally being unable to debunk myself.

Thu Feb 03, 2011 12:09 am » by **E6722maj**

that flare tracker is a very cool site :flop:

Thu Feb 03, 2011 12:11 am » by **Wakemeup**

punjedi wrote:Woot! Ones coming by tonight it seems.....

"Date: Wednesday, 02 February, 2011
Your Location: Chico (39.730°N, 121.832°W)
Time Zone: Pacific Standard Time (GMT - 8:00)
Satellite: Iridium 91
Antenna (MMA): Right
Flare centre is at: 39.753°N, 121.482°W
Distance to centre: 30.1 km (18.7 miles)

At your location At flare centre
Time: 19:02:53 19:02:51
Magnitude: -1 -8
Altitude: 38° 38°
Azimuth: 159° (SSE) 161° (SSE)
Mirror angle: 1.5° 0.0°

"
19:02:53 19:02:51 uh, that's 7:02 pm right? Sweet!

I'll try and capture it and post the result

Where did you find this info punjedi? I looked on http://www.heavens-above.com/.
Iridium Flares/next 24hrs/next 7 day/previous 48 hours but couldn't find what you posted. I'm pretty green I might add :mrgreen: