[SGVLUG] Iridium Satellite Flare Monday night 1/1 at 18:21

[Claude Felizardo]

Just noticed that on Monday, 1/1/2007 at 18:21:58 there will be a
magnitude -8 Iridium Flare in Monrovia .  In Pasadena it's only -5 but
that's still slightly brighter than Venus which can be -4.4.  The max
for an Iridium Flare is -8, a full moon is -12.7 and Sirius is -1.44.
A flare lasts only for a few seconds brightening and dimming fairly
rapidly.

        Time: 18:21:58  Altitude 51 deg   azimuth 42 (NE).

Detailed forecast:
http://www.heavens-above.com/iridium.asp?lat=34.148&lng=-118.144&alt=245&loc=Pasadena&TZ=PST&Dur=7

or you can go to www.heavens-above.com and select your location as an
anonymous user and then select predicts for various objects including
the international space station, the shuttle when it's up, etc.   The
best Iridium flares usually occur just near dawn and dusk.

If you are in Pasadena for the parade, there will be a -3 flare at 05:23:

        Time: 05:23:26  Alt. 45   Az 341 (NNW)

For a description of what a Satellite Flare is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium_flare