how many so called 'UFO-experts' know what an Iridium-flash is ?

Question

Do you know it ?
What do you think ?
Ever seen one ?

Answer 1

Yes, they are pretty ordinary events that have nothing to do with UFO's--although if somebody calls himself a UFO expert, he had better be aware of them so that he can eliminate them as an explanation when analyzing a UFO report (and maybe that was your point).

If you go to "http://www.heavens-above.com" and enter your location, you can find predictions for when Iridium flares will be visible from your location. I've seen them many times.

Answer 2

I've seen iridium flashes before, there is nothing extra terrestial about them however here is something you might find interesting:


"The Fermi paradox is the apparent contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations and the lack of evidence for or contact with such civilizations.

According to some observers, the extreme age of the universe and its vast number of stars suggest that extraterrestrial life should be common. Discussing this proposition with colleagues over lunch in 1950, the physicist Enrico Fermi is said to have asked: "Where are they?" Fermi questioned why, if a multitude of advanced extraterrestrial civilizations exist in the Milky Way galaxy, evidence such as probes, spacecraft, or radio transmissions has not been found. The simple question "Where are they?" (alternatively, "Where is everybody?") is possibly apocryphal, but Fermi is widely credited with simplifying the problem of the probability of extraterrestrial life. Wider examination of the implications of the topic began with Michael Hart in 1975, and it is sometimes referred to as the Fermi-Hart paradox.

There have been attempts to resolve the Fermi Paradox by locating evidence of extraterrestrial civilizations, along with proposals that such life could exist without human knowledge. Counterarguments suggest that intelligent extraterrestrial life does not exist or occurs so rarely that humans will never make contact with it.

A great deal of effort has gone into developing scientific theories and possible models of extraterrestrial life and the Fermi paradox has become a theoretical reference point in much of this work. The problem has spawned numerous scholarly works addressing it directly, while various questions that relate to it have been addressed in fields as diverse as astronomy, biology, ecology and philosophy. The emerging field of astrobiology has brought an interdisciplinary approach to the Fermi paradox and the question of extraterrestrial life."--wikipedia

To the objective (or open minded ) person there are several possibliities:

1. Earth is unique-- Earth is the only planet capable of supporting life as we know it.
2. Earth is not unique in that there is life elsewhere but there are no other advanced civilizations in the universe.
3. Earthlike planets are extremely rare therefore any advanced civilizations are to far away for us to contact.
3. Earthlike planets are not rare, there are many civilizations out there but they are so far ahead of us technologically that they do not wish to be contacted.
4. Earthlike planets are not rare, there are many civilizations out there but their form of life may be so different than ours that communication may be impossible.
5. The Zoo hypothesis--we are being deliberately isolated by some advanced race wishing to protect us or cultivate us technologically.
6. We have been contacted but our governments feel that the general public is not "ready" for such a discovery and the aliens have respected that viewpoint.
7. They are already amoung us but we cannot see them (deliberate hiding or so differnet that our eyes can't see them)and our government doesn't know.

you can probably add to this list.

Answer 3

I presume you are talking about the constellation of satellites called Iridium. They are communications satellites, and if they pass overhead with the right sun angle, then they appear to flash bright, then vanish. In actuality they are visible the whole time, but if you don't have clear enough skys then they are only visible to the naked eye when they brighten. The flash is the reflection of the sun off of the satellite, and yes, I have seen it happen.

Answer 4

Iridium flash = very expensive communication satellites that almost bankrupted Motorola rolling in the sky so you can see sunlight reflect off solar panels. Yes, they are always a grand treat out at the observatory. A cheer always goes up from the peanut gallery. (the slab where civilians can set up their home scopes.)

Answer 5

Skeptic! Boo!