Elon Musk's Starlink satellites have divided the scientific community, generating both excitement among fans of gazing at the skies and concern among astronomers. But this summer it's been easy to see a long white line streaking across the night sky. As these devices streak across the night sky, many wonder how they can get a chance to observe them.
How do you know when and where to look to enjoy this heavenly event? This is where developer James Darpinian's tool, called 'See a Satellite Tonight', comes into play. This online platform provides information on the exact time the satellites will be visible and their location and direction in which they will travel. In addition, it offers data on the number of satellites that will be visible from a specific location.
There is also a second tool called findstarlink.com. On this website, all you have to do is write the place from which you want to see the satellites and classify the possibilities of seeing them according to 'good', 'medium' and 'poor' visibility. During the last week of August, in Barcelona it will be difficult to see them: no time is classified with 'good visibility'. They are all 'average' or 'bad'. Keep in mind that for the next few days the weather forecast points to cloudy skies.
Starlink satellites form a long straight or curved line, depending on their location, for months after launch, until they reach their final altitude and disperse. Since the company needs a huge number of satellites to ensure Wi-Fi connections from space, launches occur fifty at a time.
If someone wants to try to locate the satellites anyway, this August 31 there will be another option at 05:41 in the morning for 3 minutes. In this case it will be the Starlink-96b (G6-8), which will go from the south to the east. A little over half an hour later, at 06:16, it will once again pass through the sky of the Catalan capital for 5 minutes from west to east.
That same August 31, at 9:26 p.m., Starlink-92 (G5-15) will orbit for 5 minutes and can be seen passing from west to east. At the end of the week, on September 1, the Starlink-96a (G6-8) can be observed at 05:38 hours for 4 minutes from southwest to east. Almost an hour later, at 06:29, Starlink-96b (G6-8) will pass for 6 minutes from west to east. In all the aforementioned schedules, it is emphasized that there is little visibility.
Unlike previous occasions when these satellites were visible mainly at night, this time the challenge is greater. Since the event takes place near dawn, the light from the sky makes it difficult to observe. To be successful, you should seek an elevated location with a clear sky and away from urban light pollution.
In Madrid, the satellites will be visible at the same time as in Barcelona on September 1. However, the day before, August 31, they will only be visible once at 06:16 southwest to east. This guideline will be similar to other supported areas.
SpaceX has already carried out more than 200 launches. Following the last one, the Starlink 6-11 Mission, the 101st batch of 22 satellites for the Starlink constellation were sent into space. This launch marked a milestone by increasing the total number of Starlink satellites launched to 5,005 units.
