RE: Iridium Flares to End?
Kevin Fetter (kfetter@yahoo.com)
Fri, 13 Aug 1999 09:39:48 -0400
I hear rado astronomers talking about how the iridium satellite's effect
there observing. It is amazing here, that complain about the satellite's ,
when is could be some of the technology used in the satellite's, is making
there equipment better, so that they can listen to frequencies and receive
fainter signals that other wise might not be received. As for flares being
a problem of light pollution, in a sense it is, but it is not as bad as
ground based light pollution. A flare could last a couple of seconds of ,
or there is a series of bright flashes from a tumbling satellite such as
iridium 48, but it as not as constant, as light from a ground based source.
I can observe the night sky from a area away from the city and see star's
that I can't see from the city, so when a flare occure's it doesn't bother
me as much. We can still light a city, but reduce the amount of light going
up into the sky if we use the correct lighting. That will reduced the
amount of light pollution more, than if we got rid of flashing and flaring
satellite's. Just think of what your equipment such as a telescpe would be
like, if it wasn't for technology.
Kevin