Iridium Flares

[frostbrewed]

is my new hobby as of tonight. Heavens-above website predicted an iridium flare(my location) at 20:15 O-clock 2 degrees NE and 44 degrees off the horizon.... A Spot On prediction! This is the first one I have ever seen. It looked like a moving star at first going from south to north and moving about as fast as a plane, then it started getting brighter until finally becoming almost to bright (-6m) for semi-night adapted eyes for about 5 seconds. It then started to get dimmer and dimmer as it moved north. The whole event lasted about 45 seconds to a minute. They have another one predicted for tomorrow night, Guess where I'll be? Events like these makes one wonder why there would be even one person on earth Not interested in astronomy.<br />Frost

 

[frostbrewed]

Gotta' get back outside, The ISS is due at 9:01 off the western horizon. <br />Frost <br /><br />UPDATE: I missed it somehow, 10degrees off the horizon would have put it in some trees I think. I did, however, see an Extremely slow moving hunk of space debris that looked like it was going to crash in my yard. <br />Satellites flashing, burning junk across my yard: This must be my lucky night!! <br />Frost

 

[tony873004]

Keep watching Heavens-Above.com for a better apparation. We had a 67 degree altitude ISS pass tonight blocked by the fog. Anything above 60 degrees looks like someone flying over your house shining a spotlight down on you. I saw Mir about 10 years ago pass directly overhead. It cast shadows.

 

[frostbrewed]

I'll be checking in with "heavens-above" daily. I also found a small Satellite tracking program that seems to be accurate. Here are some pics of Mir taken with a 12" scope from ground. Wish I could have seen it before the big splash. Scroll down to see a pic of Atlantis taken in 96.<br />Click Here<br /><br />Frost

 

[frostbrewed]

Another one tonight!! This one was a mag. -8. My daughter was also looking where I was pointing for the FIRST time in here young sky watching career. She fell asleep looking at my Orion catalogue, picking out her new scope <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> since she is now interested in daddy's boring hobby.<br /><br />Another LUCKY occurrence: I was looking through my scope at a red moon tonight just coming up over the eastern horizon, I witnessed a sattelite passing between my position and the moon. I was at about 150x and could see a black shape in great detail. This is a new one for me too and I've been looking "up" since 1993....... I think I'll try for some of those "messiers" I have never been able to bag, before my luck runs out <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br />Frost

 

[frostbrewed]

<font color="yellow">I can vividly remember seeing the brilliant Echo I satellite</font><br />I bet that was an awesome sight indeed!! <br />

 

[frostbrewed]

<font color="yellow">the 100 ft diameter balloon came out and inflated. </font><br />Thats a BIG Balloon............<br />Frost

 

[frostbrewed]

Thanks eddie for posting that pic, as my pic posting abilities are limited to providing links <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /> BUT one day, I will be of solar system statis. <br />I would love to have been able to look up and see that monster reflecting sun-light but it would have had to float around for about another 20 years before I could have seen it. <br />Frost