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I've been telling people for a while that this year might be their last chance to see an Iridium flare. Just today I had a predicted daytime flare but it did no
by cup-of-tea 8y ago
I've been telling people for a while that this year might be their last chance to see an Iridium flare. Just today I had a predicted daytime flare but it did not show up. Seems like maybe the chance has already gone.
You can still see other satellites and the ISS, but the Iridium flares were special. I'm glad I showed my wife a good one last year.
- askvictor 8y agoThey might still be there for a while, just not predictable. Which might make them a bit more special.
- cup-of-tea 8y agoApparently they will all be taken down by the end of the year. It was posted on HN a while back. I'm not sure why this current article seems unaware of these plans.
- askvictor 8y agoAccording to Wikipedia there are a few in uncontrolled orbits, so they might be around for a while yet. As for the ones still under control, it looks like they'll drop 15-20km below their replacements as a contingency for a little while, before finally being de-orbited (I can't find any details on the timing for this)