ASTRO: My First Iridium Flare

Logged in to Heavens Above at 3:45 AM and found this was supposed to happen
at 4:04 AM-mag -8, altitude 51 deg and I was less than a mile from the flare
centre-AND the sky was as good as it gets here on the edge of Calgary (it
was cloudy at midnight). So much for going to bed. My first photographed
flare (I've seen a few, which got me interested in trying to snap one),
taken 20 feet from my door.
Canon Rebel XT with 18-55 at 18mm, 30 sec, f 3.5, ISO 400. Hope this is on
topic...
jim

Nice one Jim. I _think_ I have seen one or two of these, but I'm not really
sure if that were Iridium satellites or some other satellite.

Stefan

"Jim Wilson" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:aDf3i.22584$V75.5790@edtnps89...
Logged in to Heavens Above at 3:45 AM and found this was supposed to
happen at 4:04 AM-mag -8, altitude 51 deg and I was less than a mile from
the flare centre-AND the sky was as good as it gets here on the edge of
Calgary (it was cloudy at midnight). So much for going to bed. My first
photographed flare (I've seen a few, which got me interested in trying to
snap one), taken 20 feet from my door.
Canon Rebel XT with 18-55 at 18mm, 30 sec, f 3.5, ISO 400. Hope this is
on topic...
jim

"Stefan Lilge" wrote
...
Nice one Jim. I _think_ I have seen one or two of these, but I'm not
really sure if that were Iridium satellites or some other satellite.


Stefan,

If you're not sure, it wasn't an Iridium!

Think of Venus on steroids!

Seriously, Iridiums are really, really, bright for a few seconds to a
minute, and then go dark.

George N