On a clear day, just before sunrise and just after sunset, you’ve got a chance of mistaking a satellite for a light on an airplane. Not many people know that there are many communication satellites circling the atmosphere at low orbit altitudes.

The remarkable thing about these flying chunks of technology is that they provide a predictable and quick moving illumination across the earth’s surface. These reflections are about 10 miles in diameter and are known as, “Iridium Flares” …not because they’re made out of iridium, but because that is the name of the communication company that created them.

click here to see a video

My favorite website to find out the times and directions to see these flares is Heavens-Above.com. They have a lot of great information including predictions of when you can see the International Space Station (ISS).