Iridium flare to buzz Venus

Hi all

At 23.12 this evening a magnitude -5 flare will blaze very close to Venus it should be a good photographic opportunity.

Paul

Right, Paul. I'll try.

Aubrey.

On Thursday I was waiting for a mag -8.3 flare; it was cloudy but the sky lit up regardless. Spectacular stuff.

By the way -is it not 23.22?

It is right on top of Venus though barely north.

Aubrey.

No! There is another at 23.22 very near Venus -as well as the other one at 23.12.

How serious is that? I might see both.

Aubrey.

Although Venus was flitting in and out of cloud, I should have seen a mag -5.7 object but didn't.

It's not the first time a flare has failed to appear when predicted, although the Heavens Above site does explain why this might sometimes be the case.