Satellites equally spaced going overhead?

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SexyGreyFox said:
HELP

If I'm looking at Google Maps at 22.58pm I need to look West 261 deg, I'm failing miserably at where West 261 degrees will be.

So if 180 is South and West is 270 does it mean I just look to the left a bit?
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Look up "32 point compass rose". 261 degrees is roughly "west by south" (in between "west" and "west-southwest").
 
I take it that was Venus low on the western horizon around 11pm? was ridiculously bright and close looking to the point a couple of my colleagues commented on it who normally don't even notice stuff like that.
 
I use the heavens above app ,loads of stuff on it iss of course and sky maps ,it will point you to the events




Screenshot-20200420-073403-com-heavens-above-viewer.jpg
 
200sols said:
Elon musks space junk.
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They should last a couple of years each.

Edit. I read somewhere last year that's about their average functional lifespan. It seems quite short.

iirc there's about 12.5k to 20k satellites being launched between the two main US companies in the next few years. Enjoy your (relatively) unhindered view of the stars while you can.
 
Yadda said:
Look up "32 point compass rose". 261 degrees is roughly "west by south" (in between "west" and "west-southwest").
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I know where to look now, the problem is I've setup scores of motorised TV satellite systems and we use a different language such as 19E and 1W so I know exactly where they are in the sky so saying 261W makes no sense. It makes sense now.
11pm last night were out of my sight but funnily enough I must have seen another satellite going W to E on it's own, I'm even on CCTV shouting "OMG look how fast that is".
I should see 9pms display tonight.
 
RxR said:
They should last a couple of years each.

Edit. I read somewhere last year that's about their average functional lifespan. It seems quite short.

iirc there's about 12.5k to 20k satellites being launched between the two main US companies in the next few years. Enjoy your (relatively) unhindered view of the stars while you can.
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Bearing in mind China also has large scale plans to launch a mass-fleet of globe-covering satellites itself (am not sure atm how many they have launched/ deployed yet), intended (it has been claimed) to offer / provide free sat-based internet access worldwide - connected to a global Chinese cloud-computing infrastructure.

Edit. Given the lowered launch costs now achieved, perhaps we can expect Russia and India, for example, to follow suit some time in the next decade.
 
RxR said:
Bearing in mind China also has large scale plans to launch a mass-fleet of globe-covering satellites itself (am not sure atm how many they have launched/ deployed yet), intended (it has been claimed) to offer / provide free sat-based internet access worldwide - connected to a global Chinese cloud-computing infrastructure.

Edit. Given the lowered launch costs now achieved, perhaps we can expect Russia and India, for example, to follow suit some time in the next decade.
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AKA China spy on the world :P
 
RxR said:
Bearing in mind China also has large scale plans to launch a mass-fleet of globe-covering satellites itself (am not sure atm how many they have launched/ deployed yet), intended (it has been claimed) to offer / provide free sat-based internet access worldwide - connected to a global Chinese cloud-computing infrastructure.
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Seems legit, what could possibly go wrong. Sign me up!
 
Well, it is a bit of a gold rush to get up there. Whether it pays off is another thing altogether.

I've still got memories of the global ring of Motorola satellites launched mebbe 20+ (?) years ago to much fanfare. That then got bought up later by Bill Gates or his mate for a fraction of the cost.
 
It's on my b4-I-kick-the bucket list to take the kids to west central Queensland (toward the middle of Oz) to see the night sky from the outback.

It's a sky full of diamonds out there - utterly luminous, not a glimmer of light pollution. I might need to hurry it up before too much visual techno distractions get launched - as soon as we get rid of this covid19 nonsense.
 
SexyGreyFox said:
I know where to look now, the problem is I've setup scores of motorised TV satellite systems and we use a different language such as 19E and 1W so I know exactly where they are in the sky so saying 261W makes no sense. It makes sense now.
11pm last night were out of my sight but funnily enough I must have seen another satellite going W to E on it's own, I'm even on CCTV shouting "OMG look how fast that is".
I should see 9pms display tonight.
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Good stuff. I haven't seen them yet but I'll have a look-see tonight if the sky stays clear. I keep thinking of it as "Musk's pearl necklace" and it puts me off a bit. :D
 
Think I just caught the tail end of it. Only saw one :(

RxR said:
It's on my b4-I-kick-the bucket list to take the kids to west central Queensland (toward the middle of Oz) to see the night sky from the outback.

It's a sky full of diamonds out there - utterly luminous, not a glimmer of light pollution. I might need to hurry it up before too much visual techno distractions get launched - as soon as we get rid of this covid19 nonsense.
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This is my favourite thing about going to South Africa too. Have a nice braai, a few drinks, then chill out side and stargaze. It's phenomenal. Check out Mpumalanga, named by the Zulus as "the place where the sun sets", home to God's Window, Blyde River Canyon, Kruger Park, Marloth Park, about 20 huge waterfalls, it's genuinely amazing and a hell of a lot cheaper than Oz :)

https://www.sa-venues.com/mpumalanga.htm
 
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