Tips for a newbie

[banshee]

Hey guys,

 

My apologies if this has been discussed before but would appreciate some tips. My son is obsessed with satellites, loves them! We got him a telescope for his BD and he spent like three hours with his dad looking at the moon the other day, hoping to catch a glimpse of at least one. We've read that given how many are orbiting the Earth, if we point a telescope at the moon - one is bound to cross in front of it per hour (at least) and it can be observed. Maybe we're doing something wrong because we saw nothing and he was absolutely devastated. 

Do you have any advice on how to see one? It would be much appreciated! 

 

Cheers!

[Sirius Starwatcher]

Go on google and search for ISS. You can ask NASA to,alert you when the ISS transits over your area. It's a great system and you get to see a really bright and fast satelite and it's fun trying to keep the ISS in view. 

[banshee]

Will definitely try that. Thank you. 

Any chance while we're waiting for it to come around our end of the globe, we get to see any of the other, smaller ones? How long does it usually take to see one if you're just aimlessly 'browsing' the sky?

[Peco4321]

6 minutes ago, banshee said:

Will definitely try that. Thank you. 

Any chance while we're waiting for it to come around our end of the globe, we get to see any of the other, smaller ones? How long does it usually take to see one if you're just aimlessly 'browsing' the sky?

I usually see at least 10 satellites whizzing over head every observing session. Also I often get one whiz past at the eye piece as well. You can not make out any more than a dot but I have also tried taking pictures of ISS.  There's some great pictures on here of really good detail, they put mine to shame, but this is my best so far of imagining the ISS. Next time it's over, I'm just going to look at it I think and see how much detail I can make out. 

[faulksy]

hi and welcome to sgl.

i doubt very much you will see one through the telescope. if you go some where dark you will definately see them naked eye (un aided) but as sirius starwatcher says you can get a good indication on the international space station times

[banshee]

You've all been very helpful. Thank you and happy star and satellite watching to all  

[Cornelius Varley]

Heavens Above has a database of the brighter satellites, the ISS and Iridium flares. The databases also show the track of the satellites against the background stars.

[Putaendo Patrick]

Satellites are generally quite small, varying in size between a watermelon and a largish car. Depending on their purpose they orbit anywhere between about 200km and 2,000km above the Earth. So, in general even with a telescope, you won't see any detail - just a dot of reflected light moving consistently and rather slowly across the night sky. The exception is the ISS, the manned International Space Station, which measures some 240 x350 feet, and orbits at a height of just over 250 miles above us.

The Iridium family of communications satellites mentioned by Cornelius above are very reflective and will flare very brightly at certain times at night when they are caught by sunlight. You can use Heavens-Above or install programs to predict these flashes of light.

I don't know how old your son is, but he (or you) might enjoy downloading a satellite prediction program on your computer. Set this to your location coordinates, and you can see a map of which satellites are passing overhead where you are. Some of these programs are quite complicated and powerful, but you can see the basic information quite easily. Have a look at  http://gpredict.oz9aec.net/  and  http://previsat.sourceforge.net/

Some satellites have radio transmitters which can be used by amateur radio enthusiasts (or "hams"). You can speak on one frequency and this is re-transmitted from the satelite on another, allowing the ham to get much wider coverage even from a small hand-held radio. If there's an amateur radio club in your area, I'm sure one of the members would be happy to show your son how this is done.

[ronin]

There are lots of satellites and to an extent easy to see, but they are really not that easy to see in a scope, the field of view of a scope is just smaller then is often realised.

As mentioned the Iridium satellites are interesting, the site I find easiest for these is heavens-above.com

Set you Lat and Lon and the bit of the world you are in for the timezone and you get a list of satellites that should be visible to you when they flare. The information is easy to follow, although I will say be out a bit earlier then the time given. Simply the time is the one bit I find that is "variable" although I tend to find the flare time is often a minute or two later. You can often see the satellite before it flares.

The very simple alternative is just stand or sit somewhere darkish and scan the skyies with your eyes. A reclining chair is good, also good for meteors. Satellites are a bit "odd". When you look for them there seems very few, after a while you start to see more and more.

Concerning the moon, it is actually quite small, half a degree. So getting a satellite to conveniently cross it will be difficult.

Supply a town where you are and someone will be able to give the data you need, and likely say if there are any expected in the next couple of days.

[banshee]

That's really interesting ronin. I can't help but wonder (as silly as it may sound) if it's possible to capture a shot of a satellite (any one) against the backdrop of the moon. I imagine that would look really awesome as a silhouette. Have any of you guys have a photo or seen a satellite against the backdrop of the moon?

 

p.s. we're located in Edinburgh

[Putaendo Patrick]

Check out http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/12/30/when-natural-and-artificial-moons-align/#.V-vZ6-Ew600   for a great photo by Thierry Legault of the ISS passing the Moon. Any of the smaller satellites aren't really going to show up.

[banshee]

That is a great picture. Hopefully, we'll be able to see it too! Too bad any of the other ones can't be seen though