Starlink Launch

SlowBlowin

I stayed up tonight and watched the launch on line, I checked on Heavens above and the second stage was flying right over Kerry - had a great view.

You could see a pulsing as the satellites were rotating, much better than I expected. No train just a single bright pulsing light.

iLikeWaffles

SlowBlowin wrote: »

I stayed up tonight and watched the launch on line, I checked on Heavens above and the second stage was flying right over Kerry - had a great view.

You could see a pulsing as the satellites were rotating, much better than I expected. No train just a single bright pulsing light.

Stayed up to watch this also and the fly-over. It was an amazing sight blazed across the sky! Seen the pulsing you are referring to also.

If it is clear tonight you will possible see the train of them though they said they have some anti reflection on them so not sure how bright they'll be. The First is low in SW 10° to East @ 23:39 pass 2 starts at 1:15 West to East that will be high 81° more or less same direction as last night. There's a third pass also so 3 chances to catch a glimpse.

https://heavens-above.com/StarlinkLaunchPasses.aspx?

SlowBlowin

iLikeWaffles wrote: »

Stayed up to watch this also and the fly-over. It was an amazing sight blazed across the sky! Seen the pulsing you are referring to also.

If it is clear tonight you will possible see the train of them though they said they have some anti reflection on them so not sure how bright they'll be. The First is low in SW 10° to East @ 23:39 pass 2 starts at 1:15 West to East that will be high 81° more or less same direction as last night. There's a third pass also so 3 chances to catch a glimpse.

https://heavens-above.com/StarlinkLaunchPasses.aspx?

I will be up for this one, if the cloud holds off. The brightness looks good, I don't think the sun shades are deployed until final orbit.

How amazing would it be to see a second stage burn over Ireland, maybe when they launch some of the higher obit ones we will see that...

iLikeWaffles

SlowBlowin wrote: »

I will be up for this one, if the cloud holds off. The brightness looks good, I don't think the sun shades are deployed until final orbit.

How amazing would it be to see a second stage burn over Ireland, maybe when they launch some of the higher obit ones we will see that...

That would be cool alright, I've a feeling that by that time everyone will be sick of them ruining the night sky.

SlowBlowin

The sun shades are rumoured to be very effective, Mr. Musk said he would be surprised if any astronomer could optically find them, time will tell.

Hoping that with only partial cloud cover tonight (met.ie) we might get the opening we need.

SlowBlowin

I thought that the sun shades were fitted to all of them, but HA showing sat15 as STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT).

So I guess if any of us see the train tonight it will be interesting to see any difference/space with Sat15. It is quite probable that we will not see a difference, or indeed it may be brighter, as I understand that the shade will only deploy in final orbit when the solar panels are in their permanent position.

FFVII

iLikeWaffles wrote: »

Stayed up to watch this also and the fly-over. It was an amazing sight blazed across the sky! Seen the pulsing you are referring to also.

If it is clear tonight you will possible see the train of them though they said they have some anti reflection on them so not sure how bright they'll be. The First is low in SW 10° to East @ 23:39 pass 2 starts at 1:15 West to East that will be high 81° more or less same direction as last night. There's a third pass also so 3 chances to catch a glimpse.

https://heavens-above.com/StarlinkLaunchPasses.aspx?

Only one of the 60 has a visor.

https://findstarlink.com/

^^Doesnt have same info as heavens above??

SlowBlowin

FFVII wrote: »

Only one of the 60 has a visor.

https://findstarlink.com/

^^Doesnt have same info as heavens above??

I think the orbits are a bit of guess work at the moment, the two sites only differ by a few degrees.

Bsal

Starlink train tonight 1:15am Irish time 1.6 magnitude of brightness so should be visible. Sky clearing up nicely in Dublin.

SlowBlowin

Bsal wrote: »

Starlink train tonight 1:15am Irish time 1.6 magnitude of brightness so should be visible. Sky clearing up nicely in Dublin.

Where do you get that time ?

I have set my alarm for 2:30 for the pass starting at 2:43.

FFVII

SlowBlowin wrote: »

Where do you get that time ?

I have set my alarm for 2:30 for the pass starting at 2:43.

Yea, that's what I meant.

The starlink site doesn't have this 23.xx pass at all from heavens above?

Capt'n Midnight

Star light, star bright,
you're being blocked out by these satellites

After complaints from astroboffins, a SpaceX Starlink internet satellite is set to launch tonight with a deployable visor designed to stop sunlight reflecting off its metallic body.

Also of note, the booster landed on it's fifth mission.

IIRC fuel costs are about $150,000 per flight which is a lot cheaper than building one-use only stages.

Bsal

SlowBlowin wrote: »

Where do you get that time ?

I have set my alarm for 2:30 for the pass starting at 2:43.

Heaven's above

Class MayDresser

Will the naked eye see them tonight? Very little cloud cover here in North Munster

Bsal

Just back in from the garden got a glimpse of them through a bit of cloud. If they arrived 1 min earlier the sky was perfectly clear :mad: I'll try again tomorrow night at 23:45.

SlowBlowin

Bsal wrote: »

Heaven's above

You are right, I was wrong, Christ knows what I was looking at, hopefully no ones followed my times.. The sky was mostly clear and I saw nothing ?

iLikeWaffles

Bsal wrote: »

Just back in from the garden got a glimpse of them through a bit of cloud. If they arrived 1 min earlier the sky was perfectly clear :mad:

This will work guaranteed!

Class MayDresser

Saw nothing here either, went to bed at midnight clear sky, intermittent cloud cover now.

SlowBlowin

Bsal wrote: »

Just back in from the garden got a glimpse of them through a bit of cloud. If they arrived 1 min earlier the sky was perfectly clear :mad: I'll try again tomorrow night at 23:45.

I so bolloxed that up, thanks for correcting me !

I missed it, but tomorrows pass looks good too.

Bsal

Passing again in about 20min at 02:47am, scattered cloud where I am at the moment I'l try again

SlowBlowin

Bsal wrote: »

Passing again in about 20min at 02:47am, scattered cloud where I am at the moment I'l try again

Yes I have convinced myself to stay up for another go..

SlowBlowin

Fecking WOW !!!!!

SlowBlowin

The second stage was bright passing over first, then 30 seconds later the train, absolutely spectacular here in Kerry..

iLikeWaffles

Literally got a split second look at them, very bright alright. Break in the cloud just after they pass! :rolleyes: Travelling very fast still? Hard to tell with the cloud.

From the looks of Sat24 and Clear Outside it might be much clearer tomorrow to get a proper look, in the south half of the country anyway. Clear outside is saying 8% total cloud for 23:00 23% for 00:00.

SlowBlowin

iLikeWaffles wrote: »

Literally got a split second look at them, very bright alright. Break in the cloud just after they pass! :rolleyes: Travelling very fast still? Hard to tell with the cloud.

Yep they were going fast alright, similar to the ISS maybe faster. When they were low on the horizon it was just a single straight line of light then as they got closer you could see each one, they looked like they were sparkling like a star on a very cold and clear night.

The stage 2 was in front of them by a good bit, and it was very bright.

Going to watch tomorrows pass too now, see if I can film it.

iLikeWaffles

SlowBlowin wrote: »

Yep they were going fast alright, similar to the ISS maybe faster. When they were low on the horizon it was just a single straight line of light then as they got closer you could see each one, they looked like they were sparkling like a star on a very cold and clear night.

The stage 2 was in front of them by a good bit, and it was very bright.

Going to watch tomorrows pass too now, see if I can film it.

Great! Full moon tomorrow night also. The 23hr pass will be in between the moon and the brightest star in Bootes (Arcturus)

Class MayDresser

Unless it clears off here soon, won't be seeing much either tonight. :-(

SlowBlowin

By the way if anyone wants a laugh use the Heavens Above app, and hold it up to the sky when the train goes over. The entire screen goes white as it fills up with a text description for each sat.

It renders it useless..

Class MayDresser

Disappointed here in North Cork. Moon very bright but cloud cover exactly where the Heavens Above app signalled. Hope someone got a picture!

no.8

Class MayDresser wrote:

Disappointed here in North Cork. Moon very bright but cloud cover exactly where the Heavens Above app signalled. Hope someone got a picture!

Starlink 7 train not due over until 23:45

Class MayDresser

I'll be going back out, thanks.

no.8

Class MayDresser wrote:

I'll be going back out, thanks.

You're welcome! Did you see them?

Bsal

Ah that was so cool with the moon below, the one in the centre of the train was much brighter than the rest of them.

Class MayDresser

no.8 wrote: »

You're welcome! Did you see them?

Absolutely! Hard to think man put lights like that in the sky...Unreal, thanks for the tip off!

Bsal

Another pass tonight at 1:19am and should be a bit brighter than the earlier pass.

Bsal

Conditions couldn't be better tonight with the moon adding a bit more light to reflect off the satellites, got to see them twice tonight plus a couple other satellites while I was waiting for starlink

Class MayDresser

I saw nothing second time round, but there was cloud cover. The first one took me back 40 years to being on my father's lap though, won't forget it in a hurry.

Class MayDresser

Will the starlink tonight at 23.45 be as long as the one last Friday night? Clearing up nicely here in North Cork, looks to be only 20 satellites in that train as opposed to 60 the other night...

Bsal

Starlink pass tonight at 23:59, 1.7 magnitude of brightness should be a good view.

Edit: Looks to be some high level cloud where I am.

Class MayDresser

Bsal wrote: »

Starlink pass tonight at 23:59, 1.7 magnitude of brightness should be a good view.

Edit: Looks to be some high level cloud where I am.

Same here, hopeful though.

blindsider

Anyone see the space-junk/asteroid a bit earlier....23:30...between Arcturus and Vega heading South-> NW...it flared for 3-5 secs and was really bright...!!

Bsal

Just back from the garden they were very dim for me could just about see them with the naked eye.

Class MayDresser

Nothing here, cloud right in the way. 1.25 next one?

upupup

I saw the train on friday night 23.45,clear skies.It was worth waiting for.
It was like a glittering diamond necklace flying across the sky and very fast!
Also reminded me of santy and a long sleigh, in a hurry:)

namloc1980

The next Starlink launch is tomorrow morning at 10:21 our time. Should be live on YouTube.

fryup

ah great, even more satellites to litter the night sky

FFVII

fryup wrote: »

ah great, even more satellites to litter the night sky

Looking for these is the first time 99% of people have looked up at night

fryup

so that makes them acceptable then?

a_squirrelman

fryup wrote: »

so that makes them acceptable then?

Start a thread on it if you like. I find the info here useful.

namloc1980

Subject to regulatory approval Spacex Starlink internet services should be available in the EU sometime in 2021.

webpal

I've been looking for starlinks but am not having much luck. I follow astronomy Ireland on Twitter and their times are different to what findastarlink.com is telling me for my location. Which site do look at for accurate timings, with the naked eye.