💾 Archived View for rasputin.selfip.net › gemlog › 20210330_starlink_train.gmi captured on 2022-01-08 at 13:43:43. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2021-11-30)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Starlink is a satellite constellation by the US company SpaceX and when finally set-up will provide worlwide satellite-based communication services ("internet"). The satellites operate in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) region at an altitude of around 500 km. Until today (March 2021), more than 1.000 satellites are in operation. 10.000 more satellites are planned in the future which raises concerns with Space sustainability, because LEO gets more and more crowded, not only by Starlink.
Besides raising concerns, the Starlink satellites can be easily spottet in the night sky, because they are almost evenly distributed over the Sky. Each launch with a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX transports a batch of around 60 new Starlink satellites into orbit. In the days and weeks after the launch the satellites are placed into their final operational orbit. In the very first days after the launch the satellites from one launch form a characteristic chain. From ground it looks like that the satellites in the Sky form a train. They all have almost the same orbit and travelling behind each other.
You can spot a "Starlink space train" during the twilight phase, because the satellites passing over your local night sky have to be properly illuminated by the sun not far below the local horizon. This limits the time period, in which the conditions for the observations are favorable. From my experience, passes around 1 hour before sunrise or 1 hour after sunset are very good to see.
A very good tool to plan passes is the website Heavens Above:
https://www.heavens-above.com/StarlinkLaunchPasses.aspx
Please, do not forget to set your location before planning the passes!
In the top part of the page you have a drop-down menu where you can select the launch. Choose a more recent launch event, because then the satellites form a more compact constellation easier to spot. I the table underneath you see a list of the passes for the satellites of this launch ordered by time. Sometimes, you can identify "groups" of passes, approximately 90 minutes separated (the orbital period). Each "group" with similar times form the above mentioned space train. Select a "train" 1 hour before sunrise or 1 hour after sunset and click on the row for the satellite in the list that raises first in time. This satellite (or sometimes the Falcon 9 upper stage) forms the head of the train. You will see a map of the night sky with the constellations and the flight trajectory of the satellite.
Find a dark place outside, from where you can see the constellations the satellites are flying through. Be outside approximately 10 minutes before to let your eyes adapt properly to the darkness. Enjoy the rest of the Nightsky while waiting. When the time comes, look in the direction where you expect the satellites to appear.
I was very impressed by the space train, although Starlink shows us, that Space is not as vast as we considered in the past. Space - especially LEO and GEO - are precious ressources. Also, the Nightsky unobstructed by artificial objects is worth to protect. The growing number of commercial space activities have to be conducted in a responsible manner to ensure that the generations following us are able to use Space and enjoy the Nightsky.
Enjoy watching the Nightsky!
((( CC-BY 4.0 Jan Grosser )))