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CookMySock
25th February 2009, 21:29
Whats an Iridium Flare you ask? It's a bright flash of light reflecting off the solar panels of an orbiting satellite. Some are so bright you can see them during daylight. The night ones are a really bright flash. Iridium Flares only last seconds.

If you want to see one, go <a href="http://www.heavens-above.com/selecttown.asp?CountryID=NZ">here</a> and enter your town, and click submit, then click on your location in the search results. This will take you back to the main page, then click on "next 24 hrs" under Iridium Flares. Write down or print out the details for the next few flares and set your watch really accurately and be ready. If you click on each individual Flare details, it will tell you more about the flare, and how far you have to drive to get a 100% reflection off the panels, making the flare much brighter. A more negative number like -9 is brighter than a -1 flare.

Have fun!

Steve
Tank
25th February 2009, 21:31
Some are so bright you can see them during daylight. The night ones are a really bright flash.

But are the as bright as HID lights on full beam?
CookMySock
25th February 2009, 21:45
naw, brighter.
EatOrBeEaten
25th February 2009, 21:56
awesome, aren't they? I also once watched the ISS dock with the space shuttle from my back garden. Thank god for the internets and its accurate tables of geekery!
Mikkel
26th February 2009, 09:21
I also once watched the ISS dock with the space shuttle from my back garden. Thank god for the internets and its accurate tables of geekery!

It's all just made in a studio - you should know better than to trust teh internetz.
EatOrBeEaten
26th February 2009, 11:53
It's all just made in a studio - you should know better than to trust teh internetz.
It only told me where to look. It also said I could have a bigger penis too- do you think I should trust that? *looks hopeful* ;)
Mikkel
26th February 2009, 12:35
It only told me where to look. It also said I could have a bigger penis too- do you think I should trust that? *looks hopeful* ;)

Unlike us poor bastards of the male subspecies, women can almost always get a bigger penis. :yes:
JacksColdSweat
27th February 2009, 08:40
This quote from that site:

At 16:56 UTC on Feb. 10th, Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 collided over northern Siberia.
Many hundreds of pieces of debris are expected to result, and many are already being tracked.
The threat to the ISS and Shuttle are minimal, but the danger to other satellites in higher orbits
is still being assessed. Please follow these two links for 3-D graphic displays of the collision
by Dan Deak

Yowser! They crash into each other up there?
CookMySock
27th February 2009, 12:06
Yowser! They crash into each other up there?Yeah, by hitting into each other. While they were moving. Through space. In orbit. Yeah.

I bet that made a loud bang. Except it doesn't. In space. Unless you have your ear right on it.. or something. But then it might hurt your ear coz its so loud. :confused:

Steve
ManDownUnder
27th February 2009, 12:50
Yeah, by hitting into each other. While they were moving. Through space. In orbit. Yeah.

I bet that made a loud bang. Except it doesn't. In space. Unless you have your ear right on it.. or something. But then it might hurt your ear coz its so loud. :confused:

Steve

LOL - Rocket Science 101...
EatOrBeEaten
27th February 2009, 21:09
Unlike us poor bastards of the male subspecies, women can almost always get a bigger penis. :yes:
*checks down trousers*









:(
dipshit
27th February 2009, 21:44
Whats an Iridium Flare you ask? It's a bright flash of light reflecting off the solar panels of an orbiting satellite.

Particularly they are the Iridium satellites that were sent up for the Iridium phone system. Their reflectors are very directional with a narrow track. That's why they had to put up so many to get the coverage and why they are so bright if you are on their path.