A glimpse of Supernova 1006
Watch an Iridium flare to see for yourself what the great supernova of 1006 looked like.
It's difficult to imagine what the world saw in the spring of 1006, but we can experience a sort of astronomical flashback through the "constellation" of sixty-six satellites operated by Iridium Satellite LLC. Each satellite maintains its orientation to the Earth's surface in such a way that the Sun predictably glints off its highly reflective antennas. For ground observers located near the center of a Sun reflection, the satellite briefly flares from invisibility to brilliance and then quickly...