1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,480 Howdy stargazers and welcome to this episode of Star Trails. 2 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:18,240 I'm Drew and I'll be your guide to the night sky for the week starting November the 17th 3 00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:20,400 to the 23rd. 4 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:25,880 This week the night sky will offer some of the usual celestial sights, including prominent 5 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:29,040 planets and deep sky objects. 6 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:35,640 Here in the show we'll talk about how to spot and maybe even listen to the unnatural objects 7 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:40,440 that float around Earth, space stations and satellites. 8 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:46,540 So grab a comfortable spot under the night sky and let's get started. 9 00:00:46,540 --> 00:00:52,820 We just experienced the full beaver moon, which was the last of four straight super moons 10 00:00:52,820 --> 00:00:54,440 this year. 11 00:00:54,440 --> 00:01:00,240 The moon will begin waning this week, but it's still plenty bright, making observation of 12 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:02,680 faint objects difficult. 13 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:08,640 By November 20th the moon will be in a waning gibbous phase. 14 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:13,960 Jupiter will be a standout all night long this week, rising in the eastern sky and reaching 15 00:01:13,960 --> 00:01:16,520 its peak around 1 a.m. 16 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:22,440 On November 17th Jupiter will be near the almost full moon, making for an eye-catching 17 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:23,980 conjunction. 18 00:01:23,980 --> 00:01:28,640 Look for the Pleiades star cluster nearby. 19 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:34,320 Mars rises late in the evening and is visible before dawn in the eastern sky. 20 00:01:34,320 --> 00:01:40,240 By November the 20th Mars will be in close proximity to the waning gibbous moon, appearing 21 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:44,640 about two fingers width away at arm's length. 22 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:50,360 Saturn remains positioned in Aquarius, visible in the southeastern sky during the evening 23 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,520 and gradually setting before dawn. 24 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:59,520 This steady yellowish glow is easy to spot and a small telescope will help reveal its 25 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:01,960 iconic rings. 26 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:07,680 Uranus reaches opposition on November 17th, meaning it's directly opposite the sun from 27 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:11,840 our perspective, making it brighter than usual. 28 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:17,240 Even so, Uranus is a dim object and you'll need at least a good pair of binoculars to 29 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:18,360 see it. 30 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:26,120 Look for it in Taurus. 31 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:31,920 The Leonid meteor shower peaks on the night of November 17th into the early hours of November 32 00:02:31,920 --> 00:02:33,520 18th. 33 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:39,440 This shower typically produces about 15 meteors per hour under ideal conditions. 34 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:45,480 However, this week's moon may wash out all but the brightest meteors this year. 35 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:52,000 The Pleiades and Hyades star clusters in Taurus are easily visible this month. 36 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:58,360 The Pleiades cluster, known as the Seven Sisters, is a beautiful cluster of blue stars, while 37 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:03,960 the V-shaped Hyades cluster includes the bright star Aldebaran. 38 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:09,320 Both clusters can be seen with the naked eye, but binoculars will enhance the view. 39 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:15,280 Orion and its famed Orion nebula will also be well positioned. 40 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:21,840 Right below Orion's belt, the nebula appears as a fuzzy patch visible to the naked eye, 41 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:33,600 but it truly shines when viewed with binoculars or a telescope. 42 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:39,040 While most of our episodes are about the natural wonders of the cosmos, let's not forget that 43 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:46,200 there are thousands of man-made objects orbiting Earth, including communication satellites, 44 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:52,200 space stations, space telescopes, and even portions of spacecraft. 45 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:55,200 Spotting these objects can be a unique challenge. 46 00:03:55,200 --> 00:04:01,120 In fact, I know an astronomer who has photographed the James Webb Space Telescope from his home 47 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:03,000 observatory. 48 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:08,760 For the rest of us, we can enjoy plenty of celestial bird watching with the unaided eye 49 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:12,280 or with a simple pair of binoculars. 50 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:17,160 Satellite spotting is one of my favorite ways to enjoy the night sky, and even though these 51 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:22,200 objects aren't light years away, there's still something fascinating about catching 52 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:24,400 one gliding overhead. 53 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:32,880 Nowadays, with nearly 6,500 star-linked satellites in orbit, it will be a rare night of stargazing 54 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:37,440 when you don't see a man-made object overhead. 55 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:42,680 We'll focus on some of the bigger stars of the satellite world, the International Space 56 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:46,720 Station and China's Tianjiang Space Station. 57 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:53,120 We'll also get into how to locate other satellites zooming across the night sky. 58 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:57,520 But first, what are we actually seeing when we spot a satellite? 59 00:04:57,520 --> 00:04:59,640 After all, they're pretty far away. 60 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:06,800 The answer is simply sunlight, reflecting off the solar panels or other shiny surfaces. 61 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:11,360 That means you'll have a better chance of seeing satellites right after dusk or before 62 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:17,040 dawn, when the sky is dark but sunlight is still able to highlight them as they cruise 63 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:18,400 overhead. 64 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:23,320 If you've never seen it, you owe it to yourself to check out the International Space Station, 65 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:25,800 which is really easy to spot. 66 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:32,680 The ISS is a massive science lab, about the size of a football field, that orbits Earth 67 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:37,520 at about 17,500 miles per hour. 68 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:43,600 At this speed, it orbits Earth every 90 minutes, meaning it could pass over your location multiple 69 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:46,760 times in a single evening. 70 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:52,760 The ISS is special not just because of its size, but also because of its brightness. 71 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:58,120 It's one of the brightest objects in the night sky, sometimes even brighter than Venus. 72 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:03,120 Just a quick aside, I was inspired to create this episode because a few nights ago I was 73 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:09,800 observing Venus when the ISS drifted by, and passed right below the first quarter moon. 74 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:16,800 I've seen the ISS many times through the years, and it really never fails to inspire. 75 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:22,040 When it's overhead, you'll see it moving steadily from one horizon to the other, almost 76 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:27,000 like a slow, silent airplane without any blinking lights. 77 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:31,360 Eventually, you'll see it fade out as it passes into shadow. 78 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:37,000 Its brightness is caused by sunlight reflecting off of its giant solar panels. 79 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:41,840 It's also worth checking out the ISS' cousin in orbit. 80 00:06:41,840 --> 00:06:48,760 Tian Gong, which means heavenly palace, is China's own space station, and a significant 81 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:52,160 part of their ambitious space program. 82 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:57,520 While it's not quite as big as the ISS, it's still easily visible and follows a similar 83 00:06:57,520 --> 00:06:58,520 orbit. 84 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:03,280 So, just like the ISS, it's best viewed around dusk or dawn. 85 00:07:03,280 --> 00:07:08,800 The Tian Gong space station may appear a bit dimmer than the ISS, but it's still a very 86 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:09,800 bright object. 87 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:14,600 In fact, it's easy to mistake it for the ISS. 88 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:20,560 Finding the location of the ISS or Tian Gong on any given night is quite easy. 89 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:25,160 For the ISS, you can use NASA's Spot the Station service. 90 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:30,760 Just sign up, enter your location, and you'll get alerts for when it's passing overhead. 91 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:35,120 There are also a number of smartphone apps that will send you an alert when the station 92 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:36,520 is overhead. 93 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:40,480 Just search for them on your device's app store. 94 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:46,840 The best way to locate Tian Gong is by using a service such as heavensabove.com to predict 95 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:52,520 its passes, although various apps like Stellarium can also do it. 96 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:58,960 A desktop application you might find useful is the open source program Gpredict, which 97 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:02,600 tracks a massive database of satellites. 98 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:08,960 I used to keep Gpredict open frequently when I was doing a lot of ham radio with satellites, 99 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:11,240 more on that in a moment. 100 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:16,360 When it's time to view a station or satellite, make note of its predicted direction of travel 101 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:19,080 and degrees above the horizon. 102 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:25,680 For example, heavensabove will chart the objects from when and where they appear on the horizon, 103 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:31,600 then their highest point in degrees above the horizon and where the pass ends. 104 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:36,680 As always, make sure you have a clear view of the sky, ideally with as little light pollution 105 00:08:36,680 --> 00:08:41,600 as possible, and be ready a few minutes before it's supposed to appear. 106 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:47,200 So keep in mind, even in light polluted areas, the space stations will be easily visible. 107 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:53,680 It's always a thrill watching these stations glide smoothly and quickly across the night, 108 00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:58,520 especially when you realize there are people on board doing science and research right 109 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:00,400 at that moment. 110 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:05,080 There are literally thousands of other satellites you can see on any given night, so if you're 111 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:11,080 out stargazing and see something dim gliding across the sky in a straight line, it's probably 112 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:12,920 a satellite. 113 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:18,960 Some of the most popular sightings recently have been SpaceX's Starlink satellites, which 114 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:25,760 sometimes appear in trains, a series of lights moving one right after the other. 115 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:31,640 From my location near the city, I don't see these with my naked eye, but glancing at nearly 116 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:38,040 any patch of night sky with binoculars for a minute or two will eventually reveal a Starlink 117 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:41,160 satellite or two or three. 118 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:45,960 They are literally everywhere in the night sky right now. 119 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:53,460 Another type to watch for are iridium satellites, which create flares, sudden bursts of brightness 120 00:09:53,460 --> 00:09:58,360 as sunlight hits their solar panels at just the right angle. 121 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,880 These can be incredibly bright and sudden. 122 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:06,880 The first time I saw an iridium flare, I thought I was watching a very bright meteor 123 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,120 slowly burning up. 124 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:14,280 You can check heavens above to see when one might be spotted in your area. 125 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:19,680 Some satellites orbit close to the equator, so if you live near the poles, your view might 126 00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:21,300 be limited. 127 00:10:21,300 --> 00:10:26,920 But with the ISS and Tiangong, their orbits cover quite a bit of Earth, so most of us have 128 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:29,520 a good chance of seeing them. 129 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:35,400 If just spotting the ISS isn't enough for you, maybe you can try to talk to astronauts 130 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:37,040 on board. 131 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:43,760 The ISS has a ham radio station as part of its educational program called ARIS, which 132 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:49,200 stands for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station. 133 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:54,800 Through this setup, astronauts sometimes host scheduled events where they chat with schools 134 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:59,000 and ham radio operators here on Earth. 135 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:05,040 Back in 2011, I went down to Florida to watch the final launch of the space shuttle. 136 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:09,080 While I was roaming around the Kennedy Space Center, I noticed a gentleman with a large 137 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:12,480 antenna and a radio transceiver. 138 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:18,480 Turns out he was an amateur radio operator monitoring radio traffic on the Cape in advance 139 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:22,600 of the launch, and that piqued my interest. 140 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:28,400 A week later, I found myself down the ham radio rabbit hole, eventually learning about 141 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:30,960 the ARIS program. 142 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:36,120 Before the month's end, I'd studied for and obtained my technician class license, with 143 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:42,040 the goal of one day talking to an astronaut on the International Space Station. 144 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:48,240 In the coming months, I'd upgrade to general and finally the extra class license, although 145 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:55,520 you only need a technician class license to experiment with ham radio via the ISS. 146 00:11:55,520 --> 00:12:03,200 Even with a small 5W handheld radio, I was able to listen in on ISS communications. 147 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:08,520 One evening, I heard Suni Williams, then the station commander, chatting with her family 148 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:12,200 hundreds of miles north of my location. 149 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:19,560 I've decoded slow-scan TV signals transmitted by Russian cosmonauts from the ISS, and I 150 00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:25,200 even sent data packets up to the station's digital repeater, which were then retransmitted 151 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:30,280 across the eastern seaboard and picked up by other ground stations. 152 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:38,160 It's kind of special seeing your amateur call sign originating from NA1SS, that's the station's 153 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:39,840 official call sign. 154 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:45,120 It's even more fun if you're watching the station fly over at the same time. 155 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:50,600 Additionally, there are dedicated amateur radio satellites, and you can exchange contacts 156 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:53,400 with other hams via these objects. 157 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:58,360 It's tricky, but I've used these for both voice and Morse code communications in the 158 00:12:58,360 --> 00:12:59,360 past. 159 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:06,800 So, while it's not astronomy, amateur radio offers some astro-adjacent fun. 160 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:12,520 Space operations are just a small facet of the ham radio hobby, but I know many astronomers 161 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:16,160 who also hold an amateur radio license. 162 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:21,960 Even if you don't have a license, you can still use a police scanner or other VHF receiver 163 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:28,800 to listen in on the ISS downlink, that's their transmitting frequency. 164 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:36,040 Tune to 145.800 MHz and see if you can hear anything when the station flies overhead. 165 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:38,480 You might be surprised. 166 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:44,560 And if you'd like to go the extra mile, you can even try photographing the ISS, Tian Gong, 167 00:13:44,560 --> 00:13:46,640 or other satellites. 168 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:52,000 Use a tripod, set your exposure time for a few seconds, and aim your camera where the 169 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:54,000 satellite will appear. 170 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:59,480 You'll get a little streak across your photo as a memory of the station's pass. 171 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:04,800 If you want to go deeper into the world of ham radio and ISS, I'll leave a link to the 172 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:10,280 ARIS programs web page in the show notes, along with links to Heaven's Above and other 173 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:15,520 resources for tracking satellites. 174 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:18,120 That's it for today's episode of Star Trails. 175 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:22,040 If you found this episode useful, please share it with a friend. 176 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:28,440 The easiest way to do that is by visiting our website, startrails.show, where you can 177 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:34,440 find all of our episodes including transcripts, night sky maps, and more. 178 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:38,920 Until next time, keep looking up and exploring the night sky. 179 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:47,520 Air skies, everyone.