Astronomers have been up in arms over SpaceX’s most recent satellite launch, Starlink. What could cause astronomers to get in such a tizzy? Well, 12,000 satellites blocking their field of view that is what! Starlink is SpaceX’s new constellation (bunch of satellites) which aims to provide internet to the globe, (similar to OneWebb and whatever Blue Origin decides to name its system). Just a week ago SpaceX was the first to launch a large chunk of its system, 60 satellites to be exact!
I will not go into all the frustrations Earth observatories are having with these shiny rays blocking out stars…. especially since when I use a telescope I am often looking at satellites or pieces of them not stars. Instead, let’s look at the glass half full. For the general public we can see this string of pearls in the night ourselves. Personally, I have been mapping out a good time to go see them and I thought I would clue you all in too!
Okay now how to actually see these satellites. If you haven’t read my satellite hunting guide, that is a great place to start. As it is the same system we will be using to spot this specific constellation and it will not be going over all the details on how to use the website as a whole here.*
Since this blog was originally posted, there have been many more launches. This means you have the opportunity to see multiple sets of these satellites! But… it changes how you look for them. Now, you can check to see Starlink passes by launch date by clicking “Starlink passes for all objects from a launch” on the Heavens Above main page.
The difference between the launches doesn’t matter in terms of how to see them; they are all the same satellites. The difference is where they are with respect to you and thus if they are in your field of view and lit up enough based on angle to the Sun. This will change from day to day so ‘Starlink 1’ might be your best bet tomorrow but in a couple days you might want to check out ‘Starlink 2’. Therefore, I suggest checking each set of launches or ‘Starlinks’. You can do this by going through the drop down right next to “Launch” as shown in the following screenshot.
If your page doesn’t look like this, don’t panic! This just means where you are in the globe doesn’t have the same passes. This is a great reminder for you to check the upper right hand corner of the web page and make sure it is set at your location. Again, a reminder to read my original satellite guide which goes over what each of the columns mean and the detail of how to use the website if you need a refresher.
My biggest recommendation when trying to spot these satellites is to go when there are a bunch of passes with magnitudes less than 3.0. These passes are in general on the dimmer side, as you can tell with the 6.0 magnitudes in my example. So odds are much better if you have many above the 3.0 threshold. Personally I live in the suburbs and that is the only time I even think about spotting them (and I have!).
Best of luck and Happy Observing! I will leave you with one last shot taken of the constellation to get you excited for your viewing!
A second flight #Starlink tonight over Poland #SantaClaus #SpaceX #Science #Polska #Poland 25.05.2019 … 22:15 UTC time pic.twitter.com/0KUhCTEKwc
— Marcin Łoboz (@Marcin_Loboz) May 25, 2019
Also, if you want to learn more about why astronomers are annoyed, I recommend this article.
* from this point on the section has been updated. Multiple launches has changed how Heavens Above categorizes the satellites since this article was posted and their was only one group.
