RE: Thoughts on Iridium glints
RJ@RMATSC.RIEM.COM
Thu, 9 Oct 1997 10:14:59 -0700
Yes, I had wondered about this as well. An 8th magnitude satellite may
or may not ruin a professional astronomers observation, but only if it
passes through the field of view. But a -6 magnitude flare will
probably affect an observation (perhaps only subtly) many degrees away.
The only consolation that I see is that the flares seem to occur during
twilight. Of course that may change at high/low latitude sites or at
the extremes of winter/summer.
Randy