Observation by Robin Leadbeater: ultra-bright satellite glint

Uploaded by

Robin Leadbeater

Observer

Robin Leadbeater

Observed

2025 Apr 24 - 02:30

Uploaded

2025 Apr 24 - 17:36

Objects

Spacecraft

Equipment

GMN meteor camera UK00CS 6mm f0.95

Exposure

10x10sec (integrated frames 25fps)

Location

Wigton, Cumbria, UK

Target name

artificial satellite

Title

ultra-bright satellite glint

About this image

A ridiculously bright satellite flare caught in one integrated 10 sec frame by my NW facing meteor camera. (50x actual speed) Note the light even reflected off the UPVC gutter at the top. I have no idea how to even guess at the magnitude

Files associated with this observation

satflare_UK00CS_20250424T023009.gif (832.2 kB)

Like this image

Paul Whitmarsh, Dominic Ford

Comments

Nick James, 2025 Apr 24 - 22:38 UTC

These bright glints are surprisingly common. Since it is a specular reflection off a flat surface we are effectively seeing a small part of the solar photosphere at night. The surface brightness of the photosphere is around -11 mag per square arcsec. a 2x2m flat panel at 500 km is around 1 square arcsec so something that small could be as bright as -11.

This was discussed for satellites in GEO here.

Robin Leadbeater

Robin Leadbeater, 2025 Apr 25 - 00:22 UTC

About as bright as Betelgeuse when it goes supernova then

Robin Leadbeater, 2025 Apr 25 - 12:56 UTC

I do see them pop up in my "captured" stacks from time to time eg

https://globalmeteornetwork.org/weblog//UK/UK00CS/UK00CS_20250422_233634_954949_detected/UK00CS_20250422_233634_954949_captured_stack.jpg

but this one is the brightest I've seen so far by a good margin.

https://globalmeteornetwork.org/weblog//UK/UK00CS/UK00CS_20250423_201221_614128_detected/UK00CS_20250423_201221_614128_captured_stack.jpg

(It is very geometry dependent of course though)

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