I guess Iridium satellites are not geo-synchronous or they'd be concentrated near the equator no matter what your earthly viewpoint. If that is the case, they can appear in polar sky regions even if not in a polar orbit, if the orbit is low enough in altitude and the inclination takes it to latitudes higher (or lower, if south of the equator) than the viewer. C. --- John and Lisa Zeigler <john@johnstelescopes.com> wrote:
I saw an iridium flare at the ALCON 2002 Convention out on antelope island. It was just below Cassiopeia, so I think they would have to have some in the polar regions as that is where it started and from there headed south. Iridium flares look like a slow "falling star" with about twice to three times the luminosity and last a lot longer. They are really cool to see if you ever get the chance.
Lisa Zeigler
-----Original Message----- From: Chuck Hards [mailto:chuckhards@yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 3:23 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] Daytime meteor trains
Rob's sighting does sound like a satellite flare, or a point meteor (one headed directly at the observer), but the location doesn't sound right for an Iridium satellite...they aren't in polar orbits, are they?
In my case, I didn't see a flash of light, it was mid-afternoon. All I saw was a short contrail magically appear, much faster than a jet could have left it. Like a streak in a cloud chamber magnified millions of times.
C.
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