Re: New suscriber

Kevin Fetter (kfetter@yahoo.com)
Tue, 7 Sep 1999 17:33:29 -0700 (PDT)

--- Patrice Gambaro <gambaro@citenet.net> wrote:
> About Iridium  flares, I understand how they work but  why do some of
> them flare onces and some others flare 5 to 10 times in a row before
> they disapear?
> Thanks
> 
> Pat Gambaro
> 
Some iridium satellites such as iridium 48 produce more than one flare, because they are not in a
stable position. A normal iridium satellite doesn't spin or tumble, where as iridium 48 and others
are tumbling. It you watch a iridium flare the satellite increase's in brightness, because the
angle between you, the sun and the satellite, is changing. When the angle is small, the satellite
produces a very bright flare. Iridium 48 is tumbling so that the angle needed to cause a flare is
produced more often, then in a stable satellite. I have seen iridium 48 produce at least three
flare's in a row,here as a stable iridium satellite produces one flare. 

Kevin Fetter
Brockville, On
44.6062 N
75.6910 W



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