XIV. Tracking Artificial Satellites.

1. Artificial, Earth orbiting satellites are visible on pretty much any clear night. You can obtain accurate predictions of visible satellite passes from the Heavens-Above website: www.heavens-above.com. Spend some time at the web site getting familiar with how it works. Your instructor can help you.
2. Once you have selected a satellite to observe you can have the web site produce a star chart for you. Go outside and observe the pass. Describe all details (brightness, speed, colors, random aircraft, etc.) as you watch. The easiest satellite to observe is the International Space Station since it is one of the brightest objects in the sky.
3. Make at least 5 separate observations of satellites using predictions from the web site.
4. Include in your report the name of the satellite, the predicted magnitude, times, directions and maximum elevation of passage and your estimated actual times, directions, and maximum elevations of passage. You can do this easily by using the print out from the web site and making your observations and notes directly on the print out.