So who's into viewing Satellites? (Especially Iridium Flares)

[SlyCoopersButt]

It's a thing I love to do on my back porch thanks to when I found http://www.heavens-above.com/. I've seen Hubble at least twice which got suprisingly bright and I've seen several spy satellites and leftover boosters. I've seen ISS a couple weeks ago and it was an amazing sight in the morning just half an hour or so before sunrise when the sky was partly cloudy and this brilliantly bright star was moving in between them for about four minutes. I think the magnitude was rated a brilliant -2.4 something. I never saw such an amazing pass before!

And last but not least, The Iridium Flares. They are my very favorite to see! And they are fairly common at times. Though I seem to have a drought of them lately since their current orbits aren't favorable for viewing, But I've seen more of them than anything else. I'm still waiting for the big one that's supposed to flare up to -8 or even -9 on rare occasions. Anyone else look at Flares? And what does -8 look like to you?

 

[Quick_Nick]

I absolutely love watching any satellite! I've seen only one Iridium flare, and pretty much missed the first third of the flare.(which is only a couple seconds anyways ) I've seen the ISS many times and sometimes VERY brightly passing from horizon to horizon. I've seen the HST a couple of times and seen countless Cosmos spacecraft randomly pass by. About a month ago I brought my telescope out into the country and happened to see a satellite pass through the view of the telescope(and I wasn't even expecting any pass). And then, 10 minutes later with my telescope in a different direction, I once again just happened to see a satellite pass through.(while I was trying to look at a nebula )

 

[SlyCoopersButt]

I see lots of Cosmos satellites on my list! Only problem is I'm in the suburbs outside Atlanta and the sky isn't exactly as dark as one would like. So I'm only viewing a percentage of what I really could see. Which is why the Iridium are my most often seen satellites.

 

[Quick_Nick]

I see lots of Cosmos satellites on my list! Only problem is I'm in the suburbs outside Atlanta and the sky isn't exactly as dark as one would like. So I'm only viewing a percentage of what I really could see. Which is why the Iridium are my most often seen satellites.

Ah. Well I'm in the suburbs around Houston and I've seen Cosmos satellites from my apartment which is of course surrounded by lights. These have been passes that were supposed to be magnitude 4 or 5. I never expected to see anything so dim until it actually happened! (First time I saw one I wasn't waiting for it either) Really I never saw very many satellites, flares, meteors, etc. until I started using my telescope more. If you just look at the sky long enough, you can see things you'd never expect! :lol: Light doesn't interfere too much here, but buildings and trees certainly get in the way of things sometimes. However, I still enjoy watching from less light-polluted areas. (Pro: I can see more stars to starhop with my telescope Con: I see too many and can't identify individual stars!)

 

[tblaxland]

I enjoy watching satellites but pollution is a real problem for me. My limits are about mag 3 when there is no moon and about mag 2 when the moon is up . Winter is better than summer because you tend to get less haze in the air for the lights to reflect off.

 

[astrosammy]

I saw ISS many times and a Cosmos Rocket part today. But I never saw an Iridium Flare (I'm always looking into the wrong area of the sky I think).

 

[pete.dakota]

I'm very much a satellite watcher! The 6-7 or so weeks surrounding the longest day here in England allow for entire nights of Sun-lit LEO. Recently, I've been able to view the ISS as late as 2am. Often, also, when I'm out back having a smoke I can simply look up at the clear sky and see maybe ~3 satellites in 5 minutes or so.

I've seen the ISS a bunch of times, including an impressive "ISS Flare" when the Sunlight was reflecting off the panels and down at Earth. It was easily twice as bright than any planet for about 5 seconds.

My happiest "watch", however, was the launch of STS-124. I watched the ISS pass over head, then 5 or so minutes later, watched the launch of Discovery on NASA TV, waited 15 minutes, stepped outside and saw the Orbiter and it's external tank traverse across the sky as two easily notable points of light. When the ISS's plane passes over KSC, its path will also take it right over south England. So if the launch date and time are suitable, it is possible to see the ISS, Shuttle and ET in one sitting.

 

[astrosammy]

I had bad weather on the STS-124 launch day here, but maybe I'll see 126.

 

[SlyCoopersButt]

I think my most memorable moment was when I got to see ISS, Shuttle and ATV pass by at the same time. Me and my dad were watching NASA TV at the time before it arrived and some at Housten were going out to see it as it passed by them too!

 

[myles]

I remember, one time, it was a full moon right above my house, and the ISS passed right next to the moon! I use this: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/index.html

 

[StarLost]

I've been watching them ever since the night I watched Gemini 5 pass overhead on my way to a Cub meeting.

Heavens-Above is fine, but I prefer to use either Orbitron or Satbuster. Satbuster will give me the starfield that the satellite will pass through (one of the few pieces of software that I was impressed enough with to actually pay for it. Astroplanner is another one).

 

[tblaxland]

I hadn't heard of Satbuster before. It seems to have some good features and is good value at only 15 Euros.

 

[Cobalt]

I think I saw the ISS a couple of weeks ago. I'd been looking in the wrong place, (I think), but eventually noticed a steady-moving light that wasn't a plane, and made no noise. I know which way the airport is from where I was watching, and there was no way it was a plane. And that was the brightest listed object from various sources.

I'm unsure since I'd never tried spotting something before. So I could have done it massively wrong. But it was fun getting outside and trying. Until the mosquitos mauled me.

 

[SlyCoopersButt]

Ah. Well I'm in the suburbs around Houston and I've seen Cosmos satellites from my apartment which is of course surrounded by lights. These have been passes that were supposed to be magnitude 4 or 5. I never expected to see anything so dim until it actually happened! (First time I saw one I wasn't waiting for it either) Really I never saw very many satellites, flares, meteors, etc. until I started using my telescope more. If you just look at the sky long enough, you can see things you'd never expect!

4+ is pretty faint to the human eye. I believe 5 is the limit. You must love carrots or don't stare into a monitor as much as I (Which I think is now starting to take it's toll on my vision to my dismay)! And, yes, One can see unexpected things over time. And meteors are a trully favorite thing of mine to look for in the sky. I've seen lots of them when I find a comfortable place to sit or lay and be patient. Less than 3 weeks ago I saw the best one I've ever seen! I wasn't even sky watching as I was out on the back porch having a conversation if my memory is correct and I saw something out of the corner of my eye and there it was! For about a second I saw a brilliant meteor streaking westwards that broke up into two faint orange cinders and vanished. Never seen one break up before!

 

[astrosammy]

I saw my first flare while watching the lunar eclipse at around 22:03 in the east, satellite was moving from south to north, no Iridium Flare was predicted by Heavens-Above. What of the following could it have been?:

-----Posted Added-----


OK, I think it was the Cosmos 2369 Rocket. Can such things make flares?

 

[Whatu]

I check heavens above from time to time to see if there's something interesting in a short time. However im yet to see my first identified satellite. (Ive seen others just by luck). I am also eager to see my first Iridium flare...

EDIT: I've just seen my first Iridium Lasted like 3 or 4 seconds, and was magnitude -1 according to heavens-above. :speakcool:

 

[Quick_Nick]

I saw my first flare while watching the lunar eclipse at around 22:03 in the east, satellite was moving from south to north, no Iridium Flare was predicted by Heavens-Above. What of the following could it have been?:

-----Posted Added-----


OK, I think it was the Cosmos 2369 Rocket. Can such things make flares?

Well... if by flare you mean a lit satellite pass, then yes. (as indicated by Heavens-Above) A flare isn't the same as a regular pass. A flare lasts a few seconds and usually gets much brighter than any satellite would normally be. (and a flare's magnitude depends heavily on exact location; Get your exact coordinates!!!)

 

[astrosammy]

It was a very bright, 1 second flare.
EDIT: And I was not able to see it before, only my mother saw it before the flare.

 

[Quick_Nick]

It was a very bright, 1 second flare.
EDIT: And I was not able to see it before, only my mother saw it before the flare.

Guess it's a flare then. Be sure you have exact coordinates (I use Google Earth to find them) in Heavens-Above for accurate flare prediction.

 

[astrosammy]

I have the exact coordinates. Maybe it was an Iridium satellite that is not used anymore.