Flare drought

ROB MATSON (ROBERT.D.MATSON@cpmx.saic.com)
19 Feb 1998 16:13:53 -0500

Hi All,

Dave Mullenix and Tony Beresford noted the scarcity of bright Iridium
flares recently from their respective locations.  I, too, have had a lean
month.  For the entire month of February, if I exclude daytime flares
and require the sun to be at least 5 degrees below the horizon, I only
get 5 flares brighter than magnitude 0:  two -1s, a -2, a -3, and a -5.
It would be interesting to see a global map of all bright flare tracks
on a month-by-month basis. Perhaps a large fraction of the constellation
is going through an eclipse season right now... --Rob