Small event that may only have been exciting to me.

I’m casually into amateur astronomy and stargazing. I like to count satellites if I’m outside on summer evenings, maybe haul the telescope out if some night is particularly clear. But I really don’t get out very often. Emphasis on “casual.”

We moved to our current house some years ago and were just enjoying the nice, big backyard for one of the first times, sitting in some folding chairs fully reclined to look straight up at the sky. Whenever we do that, which is maybe once every several years, even then it’s always too cold, too hot, too many mosquitos, etc., so this was rare and nice.

Right above our heads, right where we were both looking, an Iridium flare swept across us. I’d heard of those satellites reflecting “flares” being particularly spectacular, and I’d thought about trying to get in the path of a predicted one someday, but I don’t think I really thought I’d ever really make the effort or have any luck if I did. Not expecting it and seeing it happen, I couldn’t decide if I was dreaming. I hopped on heavens-above.com right afterwards and, although I didn’t see that flare predicted, it confirmed an Iridium pass had coincided with the sighting, so I’m convinced.

So, something spectacular and somewhat scarce that many people wouldn’t notice and many would either find boring or think was a UFO was something we got lucky to accidentally see together right in our backyard.