Documents / Report
The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office issued this information paper in December 2024 on how sunlight reflecting off Starlink and other Low Earth Orbit satellites can be mistaken for UAP. It explains the difference between diffuse and specular reflection, Starlink trains, and flares, and it gives a step-by-step method for predicting flare windows. The method is shown with AARO photographs taken near Sidney, Nebraska, and applied to a 2022 airline pilot report near Gallup, New Mexico. AARO concluded that the lights in that report were very likely satellite flares.
“flares”15 pages
All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) 10 10. Using the information in the table, perform the observations and record the measured values in the table. Table 1: Example template for recording estimated azimuth and times for Starlink flare windows. Observation Site Latitude NOTES:Longitude After sunset Before sunrise Date Time (L) Sun Altitude Azimuth Look Angle Date Time (L) Sun Altitude Azimuth Look Angle -38° 10° -46° 0° -46° 0° -38° 10° Measured Values of Satellite Flare Measured Values of Satellite Flare Date Time (L) Flare Azimuth Flare Elevation Date Time (L) Flare Azimuth Flare Elevation The scenario below illustrates this process by working through an example. Scenario Suppose AARO personnel want to gather images and video of Starlink flares to support the development of this information paper. AARO personnel travel from March 8-12, 2024, and select Sidney, NE as the destination. This is due to its ~4000 feet altitude within the High Plains and the generally flat terrain in this area, both of which make conditions more favorable to observe space- based objects near the horizon. The necessary information is: 1. Observation location: Sidney, NE 2. Year: 2024 3. Day: March 10 after sunset and March 11 before sunrise For steps 4 through 10, see Table 2 below. This was completed using https://www.suncalc.org. Table 2 shows that the measured azimuths and altitudes of the exemplified flares fall within the predicted values. Figure 12 and Figure 13 are example photos taken during the two timeframes noted in Table 2. AARO used https://theskylive.com/planetarium to reference the flare locations against the known positions of other celestial bodies, which are noted in the images. Implications for Airborne Observation Up to this point, the discussion has assumed the observer is located on the surface of the Earth. However, the phenomena of satellite trains and flares are also visible from aircraft. The angles, geometries, etc. may differ, but the fundamental principles are the same. For an airborne observer, the opportunity to see flares can persist longer when flying East to West after sunset in the direction of the Sun or West to East before sunrise in the direction of the Sun because they can stay in the flare light cone longer.
Report, from the aaro collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 19 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.