Re: [APML] OK What the He** is it??

[Robert Reeves <reeves10@swbell.net>]

> So has Saturn moved into southern Scorpius?  Can anyone guess what caused
> the strange object / star in this shot?  It's a section of an image of
> IC4628.  The image has some field rotation at 90 minutes but what the heck
> is it?
>
> http://www.astroimager.net/Whatit-1.jpg
>
> Jim

My vote would be an Iridium flare.  What elevation above the horizon was
this shot?  If low on the horizon, the distance to the satellite would be
great and the length of the flare foreshortened, making it short on the film
like the photo shows.  The just before twilight timing would be right for a
satellite flare.

I have a bright Iridium flare photo on my web site at
http://www.robertreeves.com/iridium.jpg
At about 30 degrees elevation, it shows a slightly longer trail than your
image, but then the flare on my image was so bright I started to yell at the
"idiot who turned on his car headlights" only to find the source of light
was in the sky.  Yours could have been a dimmer flare, and thus have shorter
fore and aft trails.

Robert Reeves                      reeves10@swbell.net
520 Rittiman Rd.                   www.robertreeves.com
San Antonio, Texas 78209    210-828-9036
USA                                     29.484  98.440  200 meters


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