Satellite Observation

Satellite observation is probably a lot easier than you think!

Although satellites are visible any clear night, the best time to observe them is just after sunset and just before sunrise. The reason for this is that spacecraft, like the moon, do not generate light but rather reflect light from the sun.

Along with dedicated software like Orbitron, there are now a number of websites that provide predictions online via a simple webpage as to when to see a satellite pass. My favourite site is Heavens Above.

Some satellites can bee seen passing from horizon to horizon, by far the easiest to observe is the International Space Station (ISS) but others can only be seen fleetingly as the sun reflects off the solar panels.

However, there is one group of satellites called Iridium, that due to there global communications tasking, can be very precisely predicted when to be visible. These events are known as flares and are sometime mistaken for meteor trails.

For videos of observations, please visit Spacescan.