RE: Flare this week.31 Oct 2025 20:49
โYou and Co-Pilot are spot-on: the image perfectly shows why the SWIR (Shortwave Infrared) is working so well and why the regular thermal camera might miss things.
โBasically, the fact that the flare is visible as one intense, bright dot means it's a small to moderate flare. The strong SWIR signal, but weak thermal signal, is a big clue.
โThis is likely because they're in the early cleanup or testing stages. They're burning off the "water-wet" gas using temporary equipment, which makes the flame cooler and less efficient than a full production flare.
โThe heat from a water-heavy flare gets "soaked up" a bit by the steam and moisture, making the flame less visible to the thermal camera, but the combustion itself still shines brightly in the SWIR bands.
โIt's a great demonstration of how satellite tech confirms the operations happening on the ground!