I recently witnessed what certainly looked like three simultaneous Iridium flares very near to one another. Is that possible -- has anyone ever heard of three at a time?
Forum Thread: Multiple Iridium Flares
- Hot
- Active
-
Forum Thread: How to Detect Exoplanets with the Cheapest Equipment 0 Replies
6 yrs ago -
Forum Thread: This is How You Can Help the SETI Institute Find Extraterrestrial Intelligence 0 Replies
7 yrs ago -
Forum Thread: How YOU Can Look for Exoplanets from Home - Part IV 0 Replies
7 yrs ago -
Forum Thread: How YOU Can Look for Exoplanets from Home - Part III 0 Replies
7 yrs ago -
Forum Thread: How to look for exoplanets from home - Part II 0 Replies
7 yrs ago -
Forum Thread: This Is How You Can Find Exoplanets from Home 0 Replies
7 yrs ago -
Forum Thread: 10 Strangest Planets in the Universe 0 Replies
9 yrs ago -
Forum Thread: Were the Moon Landings Faked? 0 Replies
9 yrs ago -
Forum Thread: Halley's Comet Trail to Earth 0 Replies
10 yrs ago -
Forum Thread: Project Ideas (anything please!) 27 Replies
12 yrs ago -
Forum Thread: Observing details 0 Replies
12 yrs ago -
Forum Thread: Beginner's help and advice 0 Replies
12 yrs ago -
Forum Thread: Astronomy Background Intros 0 Replies
12 yrs ago -
Forum Thread: Telescope questions/problems 0 Replies
12 yrs ago
-
How To: How Old Are You on Mars and Venus? Learn How to Convert Earth-Years Across Our Solar System
-
How To: Watch Tonight's Peaking Geminid Meteor Shower—About 100 Shooting Stars Per Hour!
-
News: 5 Things You Didn't Know About Earth
-
News: Top 5 Extraordinary Types of Stars!
-
News: Top 5 Alien Worlds That Could Host Alien Life!
-
How To: There's a Total Lunar Eclipse Monday Night—Here's How to Watch the "Blood Moon" Rising
-
How To: Watch Asteroid 2012 DA14 Zoom Past Earth Today
-
How To: SETI Needs Your Help Renaming Pluto's Newly Found P4 and P5 Moons
-
How To: Chat with NASA Astronauts Live from the International Space Station on February 22nd
-
How To: Help NASA Write Code to Fix the International Space Station and You Could Win $10,000!
-
How To: Get Daily Astronomy Pics from NASA on Your Android, iPhone, Windows Phone, and More
-
How To: Tired of Earth? Mars One Is Now Accepting Applications to Live Over 38 Million Miles Away
-
How To: Take Mind-Blowing Space Photographs—From Outer Space
-
How To: Know Exactly When You Can Spot the International Space Station at Home with NASA Text Alerts
-
How To: This Cheap DIY Telescope Mount Makes You an Instant iPhone Astrophotographer
-
News: Watch the First Human Skydive from Space—Faster Than the Speed of Sound
-
How To: Watch NASA's Curiosity Rover Land on the Surface of Mars Tonight (Live Online)
-
News: New Computer Simulation Reveals How Our Milky Way Really Formed After the Big Bang
-
News: 1,300 Different Online Images Used to Create Orbital Map of Comet Holmes
-
How To: Watch the City-Block Sized 2002 AM31 Asteroid Fly by Earth Live Today
6 Responses
I think it's completely possible- about what magnitude was it? How close were they?
I've seen one before, but never multiple ones at the same time. I've heard of three at a time, but only during their initial launch, before they dispersed, taken by Paul Maley (below).
Thanks for the responses guys! Sorry I haven't been back for awhile -- I've been crazy busy with work projects -- but I thought maybe a visual would help ID what I saw.
I looked at some more Iridium flare videos, and the thing that keeps hanging me up is that what I saw didn't move at all -- at least not in any perceptible way.
Forgive the video quality -- it's the film equivalent of a two minute thumbnail sketch. :)
Keep in mind the transition from 'bright to gone' was very smooth and lasted about 4-5 minutes in total. Thank you once again!
Hmm... right off the bat, the triangle formation makes me think it's one of the NOSS satellite triplets. But usually those would be moving, too (like in the video below). Though it could be possible for them to "seem" stationary, depending on where you're standing on Earth.
Thanks Justin! I'd have to say that after watching the video and following the link you provided, I'm fairly convinced that is what I saw. The shape, visual scale and brightness are certainly close.
I'm assuming the formation was 'heading right toward me' enough to seem stationary -- and I did continue to slowly walk the dog as I watched the sky. All-in-all, I'm content to call it "answered." Thank you. :)
Glad you consider it solved! :)
Share Your Thoughts