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Credit & Copyright: Martin Mark
Explanation:
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
flares 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:
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: satellite
Publications with words: satellite
See also: