Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking. Login or Take a Tour!
user-inactivated · 3138 days ago · link · · parent · post: I saw a flare but it wasn't Iridium neither the ISS
Iridium flares are fantastic if you catch one at an outreach event. We had a bright one, -6.8 that lingered above us for 2-3 seconds and then followed the satellite for several more seconds after that. We had a crowd of about 50 or so around us and they all "OOOOOHHHHH AHHHHHHH" with a few "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!" for good measure. There is an android app called ISS Detector that is well worth the money. It pulls your GPS and calculated the next 10 days if ISS and Iridium flare sightings. As far as the brightness, the closer you are to the central part of the flare path, the more accurate the prediction.