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The iridium satellite is normally very faint, as it is tiny. But every now and then one of its three aluminium antennae catches the sunlight and projects a beam of sunlight down on us. This flare lasts just a couple of seconds and can be brighter than Venus before it fades back to its usual dim level, usually right on the limit of visibility to the naked eye.
The ISS is huge in comparison, and reflects enough light off its many surfaces to stay bright for the 2.5 minutes of that shot.
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It's an iridium flare, that's what they do! It's a reflection of the Sun off a very shiny surface. At max brightness you're getting max reflection. Looks like this IRL:
I've just found out they're going to end soon as the satellites are being de-orbited :(
http://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/iridium-flares-cease-end-2018
get out and see them while you can! They are predictable and there are several per night usually. It's a strange experience to pinpoint a location in the sky and see the flare happen precisely on time; it's one of the rare situations where you can see real proof that you live on a ball with things constantly flying around in orbit
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Ludd
frankenbike
@moocher
Great stuff as always. How come the top one's trail seems to brighten and fade but the lower trail is more consistent?