Odd traffic over Norfolk

[57mm]

In the back garden at 0515 (couldn't sleep, let the dog out). Clear sky, so gazed up at the plough. Spotted traffic moving eastwards at high level, in what looked like radar trail at approx 3nm spacing, some 20 of them. No contrails, little noise. Single steady white light under each aircraft.

Any ideas?

[Tashengurt]

Starlink satellites?

[ORAC]

Indeed, if you check their orbital path they passed directly overhead.

https://www.satflare.com/track.asp?q=starlink#MAP

[ORAC]

Video of Starlink Satellite train.

You Tube

[superplum]

Originally Posted by 57mm

In the back garden at 0515 (couldn't sleep, let the dog out). Clear sky, so gazed up at the plough. Spotted traffic moving eastwards at high level, in what looked like radar trail at approx 3nm spacing, some 20 of them. No contrails, little noise. Single steady white light under each aircraft.

Any ideas?

A11 closed again?

[57mm]

Thanks Guys, sure is a lot of stuff up there......

[logansi]

Originally Posted by 57mm

Thanks Guys, sure is a lot of stuff up there......

Space X is planning over 3000 of them.

[derjodel]

Originally Posted by logansi

Space X is planning over 3000 of them.

A few years ago, in a summer night, I was laying on the grass with my daughter, watching the sky, counting the meteors.

An experience she won't be able to share with her kids.

[mickjoebill]

Originally Posted by logansi

Space X is planning over 3000 of them.

It has recently applied for additional licences for 10x that number!

mjb

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by derjodel

A few years ago, in a summer night, I was laying on the grass with my daughter, watching the sky, counting the meteors.

An experience she won't be able to share with her kids.

When I was young back in the '50s, the Meteors out of Bovingdon used to frighten me with the out of sync wailing nose they made.
Wossat; different Meteors?

[ORAC]

Nostalgia’s not what it used to be.....

[Auxtank]

Originally Posted by mickjoebill

It has recently applied for additional licences for 10x that number!

mjb

We've made hell on Earth - now we're making it up there.

[logansi]

At least they might drive the NBN out of business. And if they do achieve their actual goal of funding space flight to Mars, as a space nerd i'm slightly ok with it.

[Cough]

Taking the beauty out of the stars IMHO...

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!]

What's the point of releasing them all at once? Shouldn't they be scattered around the globe? like a GPS constellation?

(assuming they're all part of the same thing)

[ORAC]

What's the point of releasing them all at once? Shouldn't they be scattered around the globe? like a GPS constellation?

(assuming they're all part of the same thing)

They’re released at the same time in a string and kept in low orbit whilst they are individually checked out (I believe they couldn’t contact 3 out if the first 60).

Those that are dead will relatively quickly decay and renter. The others will be separated into their correct spacing by lowering and raising them by +/-300m and then raised into their final 550km planned orbit for the first 1600. Up to 42,000 satellites are planned in various shells.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starlink

Movie just covers the initial 12,000 satellite shell with an inclination of 53 degrees.

You Tube

[EEngr]

Video of Starlink Satellite train.

They should have painted the first one red.
"You see sweetie. There really is a Santa Claus."

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!]

what they COULD have done is spread them out like a dot matrix printer so they spelled SPACE-X

THAT would have been cool

[ORAC]

Maybe they did it in morse code.......

[weemonkey]

Originally Posted by derjodel

A few years ago, in a summer night, I was laying on the grass with my daughter, watching the sky, counting the meteors.

An experience she won't be able to share with her kids.

I'm sorry to hear of your daughters condition.