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How do I find information on satellite passes?
Home » Astronomy » Observing with Your Eyes » How do I find information on satellite passes?Picture yourself looking at the southwest horizon and checking your watch. At precisely 22:42:05 a tiny dot of light emerges from the southwest and begins to rise. As it moves, it brightens. When it reaches the zenith, it erupts into a magnificent flash of light that takes your breath away! Then it slowly passes on until it disappears in the northeast.
An alien encounter? No. Just a predictable event known as an Iridium flare—the sunlight bouncing off a satellite. As long as man continues to put orbiting bodies into space, there will be a way to correctly time and predict the appearance of these marvels—be it a communications device or the International Space Station.
By doing your on-line homework in advance, you can time and witness these events for yourself. One of the best resources for satellite passes is heavens-above.com, a great tool which generates information specific to your area. NASA also provides listings for ISS passes, and many sites are available that list coordinates for geostationary satellites.
Enjoy these unique observations!
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