Satellite identity?

ceejay · 27-02-2011 2:43am #1

I was aligning my telescope on Saturday evening around 18:45 and was pointing at Rigel and fine tuning the position, when I noticed something pass north-south just to the west of Rigel. I reckon this must have been a satellite on a polar orbit, but does anyone have any idea of what it might have been, or where I could find this information?

Thanks

Plug · 27-02-2011 1:36pm

The ISS.

Beeker · 27-02-2011 5:44pm

Plug wrote: »

The ISS.

No ISS is not in a polar orbit and does not orbit north to south.

Bruthal · 27-02-2011 8:34pm

Could be the NOAA weather satellites, they are polar orbiting ones. Dont think they can be seen with naked eye, but certainly could with that scope, was it through the scope you seen it?

ceejay · 28-02-2011 1:07pm

I knew it wasn't the ISS - wrong time, and wrong direction of orbit

I was looking through the scope at the time, and the object would probably not have been bright enough to see with the naked eye - certainly not with the Dublin light pollution anyway!

Bruthal · 28-02-2011 1:10pm

ceejay wrote: »

I knew it wasn't the ISS - wrong time, and wrong direction of orbit

I was looking through the scope at the time, and the object would probably not have been bright enough to see with the naked eye - certainly not with the Dublin light pollution anyway!

Sounds like one of the NOAA weather satellites so. They have polar orbits. Magnitude is about +6 so just about ouside naked eye perception especially in a city area with lights.

The Hill Billy · 28-02-2011 2:25pm

According to Heavens-above.com four bright satellites were viewable from Dublin around that time:

Resurs 1-4 Rocket
Magnitude 2.1
Started @ 18:36:05 10° SSE
Max Altitude @ 18:41:20 75° ENE
Ended @18:46:44 10° NNW

CZ-4C R/B
Magnitude 2.8
Started @ 18:36:53 10° NW
Max Altitude @ 18:43:12 58° NNE
Ended @18:49:58 10° ESE

Lacrosse 4 Rocket
Magnitude 1.8
Started @ 18:46:39 10° SW
Max Altitude @ 18:51:01 71° NW
Ended @18:55:32 10° NE

Cosmos 1154 Rocket
Magnitude 2.7
Started @ 18:49:09 10° SSW
Max Altitude @ 18:52:44 72° WNW
Ended @ 18:56:14 10° N

The Hill Billy · 28-02-2011 2:30pm

I just had a look at a start chart for that time on Saturday evening & I'd go for the Resurs 1-4 Rocket.

ceejay · 01-03-2011 3:41pm

Hmm, I don't think it was. From the track on Heaven's Above it looks like it was too far away from Rigel. This passed only a couple of arcseconds away from Rigel.

The Hill Billy · 02-03-2011 8:10am

I only checked the

.5 mag satellites. Run a search on the dimmer ones to see what it brings up.

ceejay · 02-03-2011 1:46pm

I couldn't find any on Heaven's Above that would match what I saw. Any other ideas for where I could search?

Apogee · 02-03-2011 1:51pm

ceejay wrote: »

I couldn't find any on Heaven's Above that would match what I saw. Any other ideas for where I could search?

Either of these might be worth a look:

www.n2yo.com

http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html

Popoutman · 03-03-2011 12:33pm

If it was a satellite that you saw through the scope, then it is most likely too dim (distance or in shadow) for the >4.5mag predictions on Heaven's Above.

Bruthal · 03-03-2011 12:53pm

Popoutman wrote: »

If it was a satellite that you saw through the scope, then it is most likely too dim (distance or in shadow) for the >4.5mag predictions on Heaven's Above.

If it was in shadow it would not be visible at all. The weather satellites i still think are a possibility. They are around magnitude 6, and on polar orbits 540 miles up. Noaa satellites.

Satellite identity?

Comments