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Sunday 20/05/2012

A: "Satellite"

• This is the objects name and its expected maximum brightness (magnitude).
  
  
  • Name: This can sometimes be a little obscure such as "Unknown Object B" or a little more obvious like "ISS" (International Space Station), either way it's often worth Googling the name for more information.
    
• Magnitude or Intensity: The LOWER the value, the BRIGHTER and more visible the object will be. So for example, a negative number such as -3.5 will be much brighter than a positive number like 2.
  
  When all of the angles are just right some objects can also briefly "flare" as they pass over.

B: "Starts"

• This details when and where the object will first become visible from your viewing position.
  
  
  • Time: The current local time that the object will first become visible.
    
  • Altitude: The objects altitude in relation to your viewing position. Essentially this is how high you should look! If you look straight ahead along the ground towards the horizon, that is 0 degrees, if you look straight up, directly above your head, that is 90 degrees.
    
  • Azimuth: The direction in which you should look with the help of a compass.

C: "Max Altitude"

• As the object passes over, this is the highest point it will rise to, in relation to your viewing position. Usually this is the best point to see something if you have buildings, trees etc obstructing the lower sky around you.
  
  
  • Time: The current local time that the object will be at its maximum altitude.
    
  • Altitude: How high you should look! With the ground / horizon in front of you being 0 degrees, and the sky directly above your head being 90 degrees.
    
  • Azimuth: The direction in which you should look with the help of a compass.
    

D: "Ends"

• This is where you will finally lose sight of the object. At this point it will no longer be able to reflect the suns rays back to your position (so you will see it fade away).

What am I seeing when an object passes?

You are seeing the suns rays being reflected off the object's surfaces. Even though it may be dark where you are standing, about 2 hours after sunset, or 2 hours before sunrise, due to the objects high altitude above the earth, this reflection may still be visible from your viewing position (under the right conditions).

What is an Iridium Flare?

This refers to a bright 'flare' in the evening sky, caused by a passing Iridium telecommunications satellite.

In all there are 80+ such satellites currently in orbit above the earth. Although fairly small in size, each Iridium satellite has three unique antennas which are highly reflective. As a result of this feature and a low earth orbit, at the right moment a passing Iridium satellite can emit a brief but bright reflection of the sun to any terrestrial onlooker. This phenomenon is known as an Iridium flare.

Why not take a look at the Iridium chart on our predictions page and try to spot one tonight! Other than the event time, the two key points you'll need to know are:

Altitude = How high you should look (directly above your head is 90 degrees. The horizon infront of you is 0 degrees).

Azimuth = The direction in which you should look with the help of a compass. Never Eat Shredded Wheat.

What if I see recurring flares of light moving accross the sky?

You are likely seeing a tumbling space object; something that has either broken, been abandoned, or the result of an explosion / collision, and consequently it is now spinning out of control. As it spins (possibly in more than one direction) it's surface may catch the sun, and that's the flash you will see. The rate of these flashes can range from several per second, to one every minute or so, depending on the speed and direction(s) that the object may be tumbling.

We've seen many tumbling objects like this passing over Longdon, often uncharted, usually passing from south to north.

Alternatively, you could of course just be looking at an airplane! :P (Seriously though, after a few nights sky watching you'll soon be able to easily recognize the difference between aircraft and spacecraft).

I saw something but it wasn't listed!

It may have been a scout ship, part of a Martian attack fleet sent ahead to seek out the ideal location for their first strike. As I understand it, Longdon would be an easy target as currently we have NO alien defence plan in place at all! (Neither incidentally, does Longdon have any form of emergency response plan prepared for the eventuality of a Romero-esque zombie apocalypse, which could no-doubt EASILY be triggered by a radioactive satellite falling to earth, or simply watching too much ITV, but I digress).

What was the question again? Oh yes, don't worry, not everything that you see in the night sky will be charted and there's a LOT of man-made junk up there. Consequently we see a lot of unlisted objects passing over the dark skies of Longdon.

You can learn lots more from the wonderful resource that is
www.heavens-above.com