Scientific American wrote Spy-High: Amateur Astronomers Scour the Sky for Government Secrets. Apparently amateur equipment (both hardware and software) is now good enough that people can spot and image spy satellites and they're finding some odd behavior.
"Other experienced backyard trackers have also gained notoriety for spotting spy satellites, in particular the National Reconnaissance Agency's (NRO) highly secret Lacrosse 5. Soon after the craft was launched in 2005, amateur astronomers reported its 'disappearance trick.' Apparently alone among all of the U.S.'s space spy fleet, the Lacrosse 5 periodically disappears from view for seconds before reappearing. It is the opposite of a flare, in which a satellite reflects a brief glint of sunlight. A much-discussed murky video shows a glowing, distinctly oblong object, said to be Lacrosse 5, quickly dimming before brightening again. The discovery was a sensation in satellite-hunting circles, inspiring some of the conspiratorially minded peepers to wonder if the U.S. could actually hide orbiting equipment from them."
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