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Alright guys, help me out. I got in an argument today about satellites.

All the ones I have seen at night look like stars moving across the sky.

Are there any that remain stationary, in orbit? Appearing as a fixed star?

??

Yes. ALL the TV satellites (DirecTV, Dish, etc) are stationary.... They do not shine much though. The ones you see are seen early in the am, or late in the evening when the sun reflects off of them. The space station also will appear brightly moving across the sky sometimes.....

The TV ones are actually not stationary in space, but moving exactly the same speed as the earth rotates, so they appear stationary...

However, they are rarely seen with the naked eye....


So, did you win or lose the argument?

Dubble

Well.....I don't know if I've won or lost. My buddy claimed a bright looking star next to the shining moon the other night is in fact a satellite.

It looked big and bright right next to the moon, and was visible all night right there. Could this be a satellite?

After doubling the wager this morning my friend now owes me $200.

Thanks to modern science...

Capt Ron wrote:

Redbelly wrote:Well.....I don't know if I've won or lost. My buddy claimed a bright looking star next to the shining moon the other night is in fact a satellite.

It looked big and bright right next to the moon, and was visible all night right there. Could this be a satellite?

Nope, it was Venus.

He is 1000% correct, it was Venus.......Tell your buddy to PAY UP!!!!


Dubble

I tried to tell him it was a planet before he got picky and wanted to bet $100.

Also later that night I pointed out it was still in the same location in relation to the moon. Even a geostationary orbit of a satellite wouldn't stay like that in appearance. And after some reading up on this those high orbit satellite are rarely seen. The lower orbit ones are what I've seen moving across the sky.

I bet he won't pay...

What you saw next to the moon was most certainly Venus!

Many sattelites orbiting the Earth are visible shortly after dusk or before dawn. That's because, at their altitude, they are still in daylight, with sun reflecting off of them. The same principle holds true for really tall towers. Take the Sears tower in Chicago for example. The top of the building has a day that lasts approx. 5 minutes longer than at street level.

Other satellites, like those previously mentioned, are "geosynchronous". The speed of their orbit matches that of the Earth's rotation. This is true for satellites like XM and Sirius radio. (You will notice that you cannot pick up these services in other countries). I believe that GPS satellites are geosynchronous as well, not sure.

Hope this explanation is not too over the top

I too noticed the moon neighbor. Every night I tracked it sliding off to the right a little more.

It's certainly grand to know that this bunch notices these kind of things!

WE SEE THE STARS ABOVE ...
KUM-BA-YAH,
I BET I CAN WIN SOME MONEY ...
KUM-BA-YAH

Double is that your boat just off Glenwood here in Tville? I see it all the time and it looks like the one in your avatar.

RodBow wrote:I too noticed the moon neighbor. Every night I tracked it sliding off to the right a little more.

It's certainly grand to know that this bunch notices these kind of things

WE SEE THE STARS ABOVE ...
KUM-BA-YAH,
I BET I CAN WIN SOME MONEY ...
KUM-BA-YAH

I say there is a little bit of "Rocket Scientist" in all of this bunch, eh!

Hit-n-Miss wrote: Double is that your boat just off Glenwood here in Tville? I see it all the time and it looks like the one in your avatar.

Nope, Mine is inside and almost halfway to Boston.....


Dubble

I always thought most of the members on here spent their time looking at the moon.............................................and howling.

How wrong can you be.