The Flare and the Galaxy
Is this person throwing a lightning bolt? No. Despite appearances, this person is actually pointing in the direction of a bright Iridium flare , a momentary reflection of sunlight off of a communications satellite in orbit around the Earth. As the Iridium satellite orbits, reflective antennas became aligned between the observer and the Sun to create a flash brighter than any star in the night sky. Iridium flares typically last several seconds, longer than most meteors. Also unlike meteors, the flare s are symmetric and predictable . The featured flare involved Iridium satellite 15 and occurred over southern Estonia last week. In this well-planned image , a spectacular night sky appears in the background, complete with the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy running vertically up the image center. Retrospective: Today in APOD History