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The Unmanned Writer |
So for starters, "watching satellites" is not a metaphor. From about 45 minutes after sunset and before satellites are hidden in the Earth's shadow, on clear nights my wife and i will watch the skies for satellites. This time of year we typically see 10 to 20 with a few visible for many minutes. So now the what if... What if, while watching a satellite, you see the satellite disappear overhead in a bright flash? Do you report it to an agency and if so, who do you call? Or just document it for posterity reasons? Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. "If dogs don't go to Heaven, I want to go where they go" Will Rogers The definition of the words we used, carry a meaning of their own... | ||
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semi-reformed sailor |
Didn’t know you can see them... But back to your question. Who are you gonna call? I’m sure if someone’s million dollar satellite gets snuffed out by aliens or smashes into space dust, they will know... "Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor.” Robert A. Heinlein “You may beat me, but you will never win.” sigmonkey-2020 “A single round of buckshot to the torso almost always results in an immediate change of behavior.” Chris Baker | |||
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A Grateful American |
PARA!!!! BENDABLE IZ HAXORING OP's ACCOUNTS AGAIN!!! "the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" ✡ Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב! | |||
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Serenity now! |
Iridium Flare satellite?
Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice - pull down your pants and slide on the ice. ʘ ͜ʖ ʘ | |||
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| Eye on the Silver Lining |
I’ve always loved watching satellites. Never worried about them, though. __________________________ "Trust, but verify." | |||
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paradox in a box |
I wouldn't report it. I would probably just think it was some sort of optical illusion. I was a bit startled the first time I saw the Star Link satellites line. I thought an alien invasion was coming. I only reported it here and got my answer. These go to eleven. | |||
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| The Unmanned Writer |
So wife responded the same, initially, about optical illusion but, satellites will dim out as the ether the earth's shadow. I'm taping about no doubt in what you saw, satellite goes "poof" in a bright flash. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. "If dogs don't go to Heaven, I want to go where they go" Will Rogers The definition of the words we used, carry a meaning of their own... | |||
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| Dances With Tornados |
Head for the Boonker. Dive Dive Dive!!! . | |||
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Political Cynic |
well, it could be a flare from an Iridium satellite - there was actually a predictor site up years ago that would tell you to within a few seconds when one would happen (and where to look) and I was freaking out friends telling them to look at a spot in the sky and then they'd see this flash most times you don't even see the satellite associated with the flare other times the flash could be nothing more than the sun reflecting off a solar array - satellites tend to rotate - some slow, some fast I wouldn't be worried about seeing a flash unless a few seconds later you start to see some streaks in the sky from pieces coming back to earth | |||
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| The Unmanned Writer |
Yah, we know it's a facetious question but still, a thought to ponder while watching the night sky. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. "If dogs don't go to Heaven, I want to go where they go" Will Rogers The definition of the words we used, carry a meaning of their own... | |||
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| A Grateful American |
719-554-3731 "the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" ✡ Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב! | |||
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always with a hat or sunscreen |
Just had to sanity check this.... LOL Air Force Space Command.  Certifiable member of the gun toting, septuagenarian, bucket list workin', crazed retiree, bald is beautiful club! USN (RET), COTEP #192 | |||
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| The Unmanned Writer |
Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. "If dogs don't go to Heaven, I want to go where they go" Will Rogers The definition of the words we used, carry a meaning of their own... | |||
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| Be not wise in thine own eyes  |
Being from Minnesota and back in my high school days. I saw a satellite burning near the fence at the football field. I was baffled. Driving by the school my buddy said look there’s a satellite burning. Darned if I could figure out how he knew it was a satellite, all I saw was flames. Here’s a link that shows what the satellite looked like before it burned. “We’re in a situation where we have put together, and you guys did it for our administration…President Obama’s administration before this. We have put together, I think, the most extensive and inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics,” Pres. Select, Joe Biden “Let’s go, Brandon” Kelli Stavast, 2 Oct. 2021 | |||
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| Member |
"Do you report it to an agency and if so, who do you call? " Yeah , that's what you want to do, Tell a government agency that you are the only one who has proof that they botched a billion dollar project that no one was supposed to know about. Did you learn nothing from the X files ? There goes 11 seasons of "how to" right down the Toto Safety, Situational Awareness and proficiency. Neck Ties, Hats and ammo brass, Never ,ever touch'em w/o asking first | |||
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| Member |
Probably the international space station. Probably a bag of microwave popcorn that got left in too long on the international space station. Or an astronaut that fell asleep smoking in bed. Or maybe a payload specialist just setting off some new year fireworks, who lost track of where they were. Or possibly bruce willis. He doesn't have very good luck in space. Call 911 and report bruce willis. If you don't, nobody will. | |||
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Official Space Nerd |
There is an entire network in Space Force (Used to be USAF Space Command) who spend 24/7 tracking satellites. Any break-up or explosion such as OP described would be noticed in minutes and reported up the chain. Satellite tracking radars would notice the hundreds or thousands of new objects, and a quick analysis of the debris field would quickly identify which satellite it was that snuffed it. I agree, though, that it's most likely sun reflecting off solar panels or other shiney bits. I cannot see any satellites from where I live (too much light pollution), but up in the mountains, we could see at least 1 or 2 whizzing by at once. Up in the wilderness of Alaska, away from the lights (and air pollution), there was an amazing number of 'new' stars I never saw before. For example, the Big Dipper has 7 stars, but in Alaska, it was harder to make out, as there were several 'new' dimmer ones inside the dipper we could see there but not down here in the lower 48. We could see at least 3 sats going by at any given time up there. Fear God and Dread Nought Admiral of the Fleet Sir Jacky Fisher | |||
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| Official Space Nerd |
There used to be a phone app you could get that would identify which satellite was in view at any given time from your particular spot on Earth. That would be neat, to see a satellite, check your phone, and see the name of the bird you are watching fly overhead. We were walking our dogs about 15 years ago, and we saw people just staring up at the night sky. We asked what the deal was, and they said the ISS was flying overhead being chased by one of the shuttles. Sure enough, there went a big bright dot across the sky. A minute later, another one went by following the exact same path. I suspect the first was the ISS, followed by the shuttle on an intercept course. Fear God and Dread Nought Admiral of the Fleet Sir Jacky Fisher | |||
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| It's all part of the adventure... |
Check out the website in-the-sky.org. Based on your location, it provides the schedules and viewing locations of lots of satellites and other objects of varying magnitude; it has been very accurate for me over the last 10 months. We moved to our new home outside the city in March and now we can see much more of the night sky. Regards From Sunny Tucson, SigFan NRA Life - IDPA - USCCA - GOA - JPFO - ACLDN - SAF - AZCDL - ASA "Faith isn't believing that God can; it's knowing that He will." (From a sign on a church in Nicholasville, Kentucky) | |||
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| No, not like Bill Clinton  |
Rarely see them here in GA, would see them a lot at Ft. Hunter Liggett, CA while on field exercises. Lot's of shooting stars too | |||
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