Starlink satellites - visible passes

[covmutley]

60 of them actually. I have been trying to catch them for a while with no luck, but that was incredible!

I think they are coming over again at 11pm tonight.

[GloverMart]

Has anyone been watching the skies above our head for the Starlink satellite passes at all?

For those who are uninitiated (like I was a month ago), Elon Musk's SpaceX project is launching hundreds, if not thousands, of little satellites into orbit so that the remainder of the world that hasn't got the internet can get it. I've watched several passes in recent weeks, and tonight's first one was superb. More than 60 speedy little sats flying across the skies, all in a line. It's quite a sight.

The earlier one this evening was the best one yet and there's another one around 11pm tonight. First one was from South west to East, will expect the next one to be the same, hopefully clear where you are.

[Eric Mc]

They'll be displaced to the south slightly as the earth will rotate 15 degrees in the 90 minutes between the two passes.

[juice]

Saw them too in Somerset...thought it was aliens at first...Then I put the Thatchers down

[GloverMart]

Ah, my apologies. If you delete your post, I'll delete mine Eric.

[GloverMart]

juice said:

Saw them too in Somerset...thought it was aliens at first...Then I put the Thatchers down

As someone that was brought up in Somerset and now lives in Bristol, I resemble that remark!!

[TheTardis]

Saw them too, grabbed the kids to watch.
Some seemed to be at a different alt as were travelling faster (to the eye).
Bonkers

[Dan_The_Man]

https://findstarlink.com/#1529;3

[mintybiscuit]

Link below if any help.

https://findstarlink.com/#53.5,North,2.25,West;3

[Beati Dogu]

Here's a string of Starlink satellites taken from the ISS last week.



That's the aurora australis, the southern lights in the background.

The satellites' operating altitude is 550 km up and the ISS is usually kept around 400 Km up these days. They used to keep it about 50-60 km lower when the Shuttle was in operation.

More photo info here:

https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/SearchPhotos/photo.pl?mis...

Edited by Beati Dogu on Monday 20th April 00:58

[Pupp]

Isn't there enough obsolescing junk up there; sounds like celestial flytipping to me...?

[Puggit]

Pupp said:

Isn't there enough obsolescing junk up there; sounds like celestial flytipping to me...?

This does leave me with an uneasy feeling. On the one hand it's technically amazing and interesting. On the other hand it's space graffiti !

[Pupp]

I agree the tech is jaw dropping, but just because it can be done does not mean it should be...

[thebraketester]

Pupp said:

I agree the tech is jaw dropping, but just because it can be done does not mean it should be...

But you could say that about the ISS or any other space project.

[2fast748]

I saw an article the other day that said Spacex were going to run them at a different altitude that will make them less visible, Spacex also have plans to make them less reflective in the future so they aren't as visible.

As a bit of a star gazer I can understand the annoyance of professionals who see them as space "debris" but I do find myself looking for artificial stars whenever I'm out stargazing.

[Pupp]

thebraketester said:

Pupp said:

I agree the tech is jaw dropping, but just because it can be done does not mean it should be...

But you could say that about the ISS or any other space project.

What is being advanced in the understanding of space by this exercise; it's a commercial telecoms endeavor isn't it?

[anonymous-user]

Shooting stars on demand. Could catch on.

Couldn’t X make them less reflective?

[Eric Mc]

Pupp said:

What is being advanced in the understanding of space by this exercise; it's a commercial telecoms endeavor isn't it?

The vast bulk of satellite launches are commercial, government or military and are nothing to do with science or space exploration.

[Eagleye]

Apologies for my ignorance but why isn't Starlink geostationary (or is the word geosynchronous).

[GloverMart]

Sambucket said:

Shooting stars on demand. Could catch on.

Couldn’t X make them less reflective?

Think the next batch being built will be more reflective, that's the idea. The whole thing causes astrophotographers a world of problems taking good pics with these things whizzing around the skies....