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Starlink Launch

  • 04-06-2020 2:59am
    #1
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭


    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.


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Comments

  • #2
    iLikeWaffles
    Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭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?


  • #3
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭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...


  • #4
    iLikeWaffles
    Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭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.


  • #5
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭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.


  • #6
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭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.


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  • #7
    FFVII
    Registered Users Posts: 1,382 ✭✭✭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??


  • #8
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭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.


  • #9
    Bsal
    Registered Users Posts: 1,766 ✭✭✭Bsal


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


  • #10
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭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.


  • #11
    FFVII
    Registered Users Posts: 1,382 ✭✭✭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?


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  • #12
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭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.


  • #13
    Bsal
    Registered Users Posts: 1,766 ✭✭✭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

    a7fe3b135c1e1af353483f2a18b862ad.png


  • #14
    Class MayDresser
    Closed Accounts Posts: 395 ✭✭Class MayDresser


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


  • #15
    Bsal
    Registered Users Posts: 1,766 ✭✭✭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.


  • #16
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭SlowBlowin


    Bsal wrote: »
    Heaven's above

    a7fe3b135c1e1af353483f2a18b862ad.png

    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 ?


  • #17
    iLikeWaffles
    Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭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:

    tenor.gif

    This will work guaranteed!


  • #18
    Class MayDresser
    Closed Accounts Posts: 395 ✭✭Class MayDresser


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


  • #19
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭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.


  • #20
    Bsal
    Registered Users Posts: 1,766 ✭✭✭Bsal


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


  • #21
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭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..


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  • #22
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭SlowBlowin


    Fecking WOW !!!!!


  • #23
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭SlowBlowin


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


  • #24
    iLikeWaffles
    Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭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.


  • #25
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭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.


  • #26
    iLikeWaffles
    Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭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)

    PassSkyChart2.ashx?passID=116250&size=500&lat=53.4046&lng=-6.2765&loc=Unnamed&alt=0&tz=GMT&showUnlit=false


  • #27
    Class MayDresser
    Closed Accounts Posts: 395 ✭✭Class MayDresser


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


  • #28
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭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..


  • #29
    Class MayDresser
    Closed Accounts Posts: 395 ✭✭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!


  • #30
    no.8
    Registered Users Posts: 778 ✭✭✭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


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  • #31
    Class MayDresser
    Closed Accounts Posts: 395 ✭✭Class MayDresser


    I'll be going back out, thanks.


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