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Regional - Canadian political attack ads a nuisance
Commentary by Chris Clegg
for Smoky River Express
A recent poll conducted by the Edmonton Sun indicated 48 per cent of people were concerned about light pollution blocking the night sky.
I can relate somewhat to the 48 per cent. I like to sit outside on a clear night and gaze into the sky. Sooner or later, a streak of light wobbles its way across the heavens.
Yes, I like to find satellites and watch as they go about completing their mission. I wonder, is it a communications satellite, a weather satellite or is someone spying on the poor, unsuspecting citizens below?
Who put the particular satellite I’m watching into space? Americans? Russians? Chinese? Maybe even us?
There is little doubt even in High Prairie that the lights of the town make it more difficult to find them compared to the country home I was raised. As a result, in a small way, it is light pollution affecting an activity I enjoy.
Being curious, I decided to try to discover how many satellites buzz around the Earth. On a good night, I can find 10 in less than an hour.
It seems the experts in Google can’t agree.
The United States Space Surveillance Network – which has tracked every object in orbit over 10 cm in diameter since it was founded in 1957 – says there are about 560 satellites operating in Earth’s orbit. In total, they estimate 8,000 manmade objects in total in Earth’s history. They add there are 26,000 “space objects’ orbiting Earth.
However, another site says there are 3,000 useful satellites and 6,000 pieces of space junk orbiting Earth.
Quite a difference between 560 and 3,000 wouldn’t you say?
Anyway, I find it very relaxing to sit on the deck with a hot coffee or hot chocolate in winter, or a cool drink in summer, and gaze into the sky. The fresh air does me good also.
For what it’s worth, here are a few tips on how to find them. Keep in mind this is not an expert’s analysis, just mine.
* look for north to south or south to north paths instead of east to west or west to east. I estimate over 80 percent of satellites travel north to south or south to north.
* after sunset, always look either straight up, slightly toward the west or toward the east and the eastern horizon. Just before sunrise, simply reverse.
Astrophysicist Jesse Allen says when you see a satellite, you are not seeing light generated from the satellite itself. What you are seeing is the sun’s light reflecting off the satellite. It’s because the satellite is not in the Earth’s shadow because it is so high in the sky. When a particularly bright satellite suddenly disappears, it has entered the Earth’s shadow.
And, if you are looking toward the sun, the chances are you won’t see the reflection of its light off a satellite because you are in the satellite’s shadow.
* in addition to the last point, one or two hours after sunset or before sunrise is the best time to spot them. Again, because the sun is nearing the horizon and its light is bouncing off satellites.
And, in case you were wondering, most of the satellites we see are low-orbit, meaning they travel anywhere from 200-80 miles above the Earth’s surface. Satellites in geosynchronous orbits are up to 22,000 miles high but we can’t see them because they’re too small.
With all this said, sometimes too much information can ruin a hobby. For me, I’ll just continue to enjoy.
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