Are satellites in the way of observation?

[Planetarian]

As there are almost 3000 satellites on orbit, I was wondering if they ever become an obstruction of our stargazing.

I'm just a beginner and don't know much about it. Spacex has started the Starlink project which consists of thousands of satellites. Are those ever gonna be in the way when observing, or there's nothing to worry about? I know they won't be in focus but can decrease contrast i guess. 

[Geoff Barnes]

I am a visual only observer but I imagine satellites could be an annoying nuisance for astro photographers who don't want or need white streaks across their images.

I must say that I get a bit of a kick out of seeing a satellite cross my field of view when I'm observing as it is so unexpected and only fleetingly there. It is amazing how many times I've seen them when viewing Orion and also Crux, must be on the main flightpath north and south I guess.  

[John]

I'm a visual observer like Geoff. I do often see a satellite whizz across the field of view through a scope but they don't bother me at all.

I can see that imagers would not be so relaxed about them though.

 

[wxsatuser]

Don't bother me.

Never had a problem removing satellites and planes from images, just use the correct stacking method and plenty of subs.

[Jiggy 67]

Likewise, I’m a visual observer and they don’t bother me.....however, there have been occasions when I’m concentrating on an object and a satellite whizzes through the fov causing me to nearly fall on my backside with surprise!! They do make me jump sometimes 😂

[Neil H]

You want to try living near an airport when 737 gets in the way lol

[Space Hopper]

They just add to the observation of looking at something in the night sky. Theres alot of stuff up there  !

I've even seen 2 criss cross going in completely different directions.

Obviously from an imaging perspective satellites and air traffic can be bothersome.

@Planetarian see if you can spot the ISS (international space station) There are apps to help you locate it.

Although its tricky as it moves so so fast, theres a surprising amount  of detail there if you can follow it in a telescope. I find 80 - 100x magnification about right.

 

[cplee42]

This will I am sure become a hot topic in the next few years. Currently 3000 satellites are active but this will rise to 20,000 in the next 5 years and prospective plans for 100,000 are now approved by International regulation teams. The professional astronomical world are currently assessing the impacts - it would seem that low LEO orbits like Starlink may be mag 7 problems in twilight periods but less prominent at later times. On the other hand OneWeb (owned no in part by UK Govt) will operate at high altitudes and so will remain visible for longer but their brightness may be less (being further away), around 8/9 mag. The professionals look for mitigation strategies (challenging if honest) but they are asking FAS to investigate how the amateurs are affected and at what point it becomes a problem. How effective will stacking be etc etc vs the number of trails etc etc? It might be a piece of work members of SGL might wish to contribute to in the coming years. The new concern will be radio astronomy and SKA but I imagine less of a nuisance than optical?

 

[wxsatuser]

Personally I have stacked out 5 plane trails on one image and 4 satellite trails on one image with no problem.
Also have done a few sessions where not one satellite has hit a sub, plane trails hit nearly every session.
Being located on Gatwick inbound with sometimes a plane every two minutes at peak.

We also have to remember the satellites are often eclipsed so are not visible all the time.

[nfotis]

I guess that satellites like the Starlink will be visible at dusk and dawn only, since they'll be inside Earth's shadow when I observe/image.

Being low Earth orbit, these must enter the cone of darkness quicker than a medium orbit satellite like OneWeb. Airliners must be a bigger problem, because they cause atmospheric disturbance and often use navigation lights.

N.F.

 

[cplee42]

For those interested in a good read, today's UN/IAU Dark Skies conference looking at the impact of constellations and other night sky blights on dark skies for astronomy have led to a few reports on the background, the consequences and the mitigations under consideration. https://owncloud.iac.es/index.php/s/WcdR7Z8GeqfRWxG

Edited October 10, 2020 by cplee42