Geostationary satellites flaring in brightness as they do twice a year around the equinoxes. The satellites are trailing in this image as the camera was tracking the stars, while the satellites, true to their name, remain stationary in the sky. The bright object is Mars, then just past opposition, so the satellites appear close to Mars because they flare when they are near the opposition point, the area of sky opposite the Sun, where they reflect sunlight back to Earth. This was October 17, 2020, with Mars at opposition 4 days earlier. | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Alan Dyer, VWPics |
Taille de l’image : | 5400 px × 3601 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |