Very bright satellite - Iridium perhaps?

[vt_hokie]

At 3:45 am Saturday morning I was just arriving at my parents' house in New Jersey when I saw what looked like a very bright star moving steadily east. It was considerably brighter than most satellites that I see, and I figured it must be ISS. However, I looked up the ISS position, and it was nowhere in the vicinity. Could a typical LEO satellite look as bright as Venus if they arrays were reflecting the sun just right?

 

[lampblack]

<font color="yellow">At 3:45 am Saturday morning I was just arriving at my parents' house in New Jersey when I saw what looked like a very bright star moving steadily east. It was considerably brighter than most satellites that I see, and I figured it must be ISS. However, I looked up the ISS position, and it was nowhere in the vicinity. Could a typical LEO satellite look as bright as Venus if they arrays were reflecting the sun just right?</font><br /><br />Was it steadily bright? Or did it rather suddenly <i>become</i> bright and then taper off after a few seconds?<br /><br />If the latter, then the description would match descriptions I've read of Iridium sightings. I'm recalling some articles that appeared a few years back when the Iridium satellites were new and "cool." Apparently, they can indeed look as bright as Venus -- or even brighter. But it's a brief phenomenon that passes as the satellite moves <i>through</i> a particular segment of the orbit. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[steve82]

Iridum flares. Here's a couple articles about them.<br /><br />http://www.satobs.org/iridium.html<br />http://www.assa.org.au/observing/iridium/<br />

 

[vt_hokie]

So, it's the antennas and not the arrays that reflect so brightly? Interesting.<br /><br />Yeah, this thing faded out before it reached the horizon.