What kind of satellites have you observed so far?

[lajoswinkler]

Most of use have seen the International Space Station. Have you ever seen anything else you were able to identify using a website, etc?

[lajoswinkler]

So... nobody saw anything?

I've seen every space station except Skylab and I think every American shuttle launched. And a quite a lot of communication satellites.

[astropapi1]

Lol, there's lots of lurkers around here.

I've seen the ISS multiple times, I once saw the X-37B, and I got a glimpse of HTV4 on it's way to the station.

[Canopus]

I saw a satellite once but i was not able to identify it.

[TheTriniFlyer]

Well I've seen the ISS but as you said, most of us have...

But here is one thing, about 2 months ago while on vacation in Italy I saw a bright dot moving across the sky (just like the ISS would) but I checked the ISS's location, and it was over the Indian Ocean. To my knowledge the farthest one can see the ISS from Italy in that direction is up to south Egypt, (which the ISS had passed). So I don't know what it could have been...

[Rjhere]

I have seen many things pass by over me, mostly satellites, no launches, no special kind of stuff. I am going to figure out when the ISS passes by the next time to see if I can see it.

A strange thing happened to me a week or two ago. I was watching the moon with my telescope, when my mom came out and began talking to me. We looked up and suddenly this meteor enters the atmosphere. It seemed unusual as this wasn't a shooting star. I could see the actual flames of it heating up, eventually exploding into several pieces, which I saw falling down afterwards.

I cannot describe how I felt afterwards. I was amazed and shocked at the same time! I was very lucky to witness it.

[TheTriniFlyer]

I have seen many things pass by over me, mostly satellites, no launches, no special kind of stuff. I am going to figure out when the ISS passes by the next time to see if I can see it.

A strange thing happened to me a week or two ago. I was watching the moon with my telescope, when my mom came out and began talking to me. We looked up and suddenly this meteor enters the atmosphere. It seemed unusual as this wasn't a shooting star. I could see the actual flames of it heating up, eventually exploding into several pieces, which I saw falling down afterwards.

I cannot describe how I felt afterwards. I was amazed and shocked at the same time! I was very lucky to witness it.

That is a once In A lifetime experience... I wish I could see something like that... Assuming I don't get hit by a fragment...

[cesarcurado]

Only the moon

[Stahlwerk]

I (and the rest of east-germany) saw a satellite descending and burning in our atmosphere on christmas 2 or 3 years ago. That was kinda "star of Bethlehem"

[lajoswinkler]

Well I've seen the ISS but as you said, most of us have...

But here is one thing, about 2 months ago while on vacation in Italy I saw a bright dot moving across the sky (just like the ISS would) but I checked the ISS's location, and it was over the Indian Ocean. To my knowledge the farthest one can see the ISS from Italy in that direction is up to south Egypt, (which the ISS had passed). So I don't know what it could have been...

If it followed the ISS's path, it might've been a Progres supply ship.

I (and the rest of east-germany) saw a satellite descending and burning in our atmosphere on christmas 2 or 3 years ago. That was kinda "star of Bethlehem"

Which satellite and how to do know it was a satellite? It's a very rare event...

[Kryten]

If it followed the ISS's path, it might've been a Progress supply ship.

Progresses aren't terribly visible. My would be the japanese HTV-3 vehicle, it was launched at the start of August.

[Stahlwerk]

Which satellite and how to do know it was a satellite? It's a very rare event...

I'm not exactly sure it was a satellite, but they said this in the local newspaper the next day. We watched it from our balcony. I found a vid on youtube, but the whole thing was MUCH bigger and brighter than it seems to be in this video:

As you see in the video, it was in 2011.

[Pixel of Life]

No idea. I've seen many but haven't been able to identify them since they looked about the same size as the stars, just moving more quickly..

[TheCanadianVendingMachine]

I've seen a star...

[Flymetothemun]

The stories in this thread are making me say:

I need to get some optical equipment to see anything other than the Moon and small, pixel-like stars.

[lajoswinkler]

If you want to look at the satellites' details, your only target is ISS and even then you need an expensive tracking equipment. It's a football field sized pack of cans and solar panels almost 400 km away when it's right above your head, but usually it's not that high in the sky, so it's 600km, 1000 km distance. You'll never be able to track it by hand. I've tried, it's too fast.

[Jones-250]

In order to elighten you on the subject, I´d have to kill you in advance... Sorry.