Rudi Rakete - Topic: Starlink satellites in astrophotography!

Rudi Rakete, June 2, 2019

Hello fellow stargazers

What impact will the Starlink satellites have on us amateur astrophotographers?

Astronomy Live has created a simulation showing what will happen in the sky when the 12,000 satellites are in orbit.

The decisive factors are the position of the sun, the time of year, and the observation location from which we photograph. This simulation shows views from London, Florida, and New York. He created it using data and facts so that it is easy to understand.

The post is in English, and the green dots are the satellites that we photograph with long exposures, while the red ones are visible to the naked eye. As mentioned, the position of the sun plays a major role.

Information about the simulation - Quote: "For this analysis, I used my own location in Florida as well as London and New York as example locations." Of course, the effects in New York and London will actually be minimal, since their own light pollution will obscure most stars and satellites anyway, but hopefully this gives you an idea of ​​what the sky will look like from different latitudes and at different times of the year with 12,000 Starlink satellites orbiting around. I can certainly understand why so many astronomers are upset, but at the same time, the situation isn't catastrophic. Stacking can be used to remove transient streaks as long as there are enough underexposures, and they aren't visible all night long at every time of year or from every location on Earth. Locations at latitudes closer to the satellites' inclination will be more affected than other locations.

Here's the link to the Astronomy Live video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm6G6N5u0IA&fbclid=IwAR0CpPZL7DhyZQk3Jj_Qxkl50gt6ydwOA05VvEdYuUgjApUeocJhTlhlrBY

© Rudi Rakete June 2, 2019