Events in the sky. Our house checks for and announces
some events in the sky, if they are high enough, and don't occur when
we are sleeping. Events include eclipses, occulations (when the moon
blocks a star), transits (when a planet passes in front of the sun),
passes of the International Space Station, and
Iridium flares.
The space station is fairly bright in the sky, and takes several minutes
to pass overhead. The house announces it with a little satellite
sound effect and details of the pass. For this old Echo I observer,
it is still exciting to see something like that pass overhead, with
two or three people on board. Sometimes it passes into shadow, disappearing
from view.
Iridium flares occur when the sun reflects off the solar panels of one
of the Iridium satellites. It lasts for just a few seconds, but can be
so bright that you can see them in the daytime. Iridium flares are
announce 3, 2, and 1 minutes before the flare, along with the location
in the sky. You can often see the satellite approaching long before
the flare.
We have had parties stop and empty out onto our front lawn to see one
of these events. They typically happen a couple times a month.