Aeromoe's Version of Joe Orman's Naked-Eye 100 List

Number 94, Page 2: Photos of Satellites

Please make sure you keep scrolling down to see a table of all the photos

Since I've started the Naked Eye-100 endeavour, I've found enjoyment in photographing satellite trails and later identifying them via the internet. I also actively search out specific satellites and try to photograph them with prior knowledge of their expected location in the sky. I find it quite gratifying when searching the sky with binoculars and an expected satellite appears right on schedule.

My favorite tools for predicting satellite passes are the Heavens Above and Cal Sky websites. I also like to track the satellites using the Real Time Satellite Tracking website.
All are invaluable tools for the satellite observer and I thank the authors of those websites for maintaining them.

Below is a photograph of an Atlas Centaur 2 trail I happened to catch while photographing an Iridium Flare.


Using the Heavens Above website I deduced the identity of the Atlas Centaur with near-100% certainty.
My observation and photographs match the satellite prediction data at Heavens Above.



So after the first photo with the Iridium flare, I quickly panned the camera east towards Orion and pressed the shutter. My ISO rating wasn't quite high enough to capture the Atlas very brightly, but I did manage to record some of it's faint light during the exposure.

The path of the satellite (from right to left in this photo) is annotated with little circles. Note how the satellite just skims above the constellation Orion.


Please roll your mouse over the photo below to see the labeled version of the photo.

In the table below, I'm trying to document the satellites I've photographed.

Satellite Name	SpaceCom ID	Date / Time	Magnitude / Location	My Photo	Star Chart	Additional Photo	Additional Photo
Atlas Centaur 2 Rocket Body	00694	18 Sep 10 04:35 MST	Mag ~ 3 - 4 High in south			.	.
Lacrosse 5 Military Sat	28646	09 Jul 11 04:08 MST	Mag 3.4 Cassiopeia	45-sec exposure	Cal Sky	.	.
X37-B Military Sat	37375	16 Jul 11 20:51 MST	Mag 1.6 Cygnus	8-sec exposure	Heavens Above	.	.
Atlas Centaur 2 Rocket Body	00694	23 Aug 11 03:18 MST	Mag 5.3 Pass through Orion	5-sec exposure	Heavens Above	.	.
Cosmos 1707 Spy Satellite	16326	03 Sep 11 20:20 MST	Mag 2.8 Pass through Vulpecula	14-sec exposure	Heavens Above	.	.
Delta 2 Rocket Body	20453	03 Sep 11 20:27 MST	Mag 3.3 Pass west of Delphinus	14-sec exposure	Heavens Above	.	.
Geo IK 2	37362	03 Sep 11 20:30 MST	Mag 6.0 Pass east of Lyra	11-sec exposure	Heavens Above	15-sec exposure	18-sec exposure
SL-23 Debris	37347	03 Sep 11 21:05 MST	Mag 6.5 Skirted M11 "Wild Duck Cluster"	8-sec exposure	Cal Sky	.	.

A table of my Iridium satellite photographs

Note: This website is maintained solely for entertainment purposes.