Are satellites visible during the night because I have just seen 2 things in the sky?!?!?

Okay..,,so a few minutes ago ( 2:56 AM ) in the UK, I was outside having a cigarette at my back door & it is a fairly clear night sky with a few clouds, so as I usually do at night when outside having a cigarette I look up and look at the stars, But just a matter of minutes ago I was looking up and seen a tiny little dot flying , after seeing this I got my phone and waited and kept looking up with the record button at hand, when another one flew accross but at a different angle, it was a lot higher than a plane but there was no lights, just a White dot, kind of star looking object, I did record at the direction the 2nd one was in but looking at the video just then you cannot even see any stars yet there was hundreds everywehere I looked!! So I'm just posting this to see if anybody has an idea if satellites are visible on clear nights!

yes, satalties are visible at night.

Yep, you can see them at night. Of course no one can know for sure what you saw, but I'd wager it was indeed satellites. I see them all the time.

Yep! Satellite spotting is one of my favorite things to do while I'm outside smoking.

reply to post by WolliOli


yea sum are i seen the iss the outher night pased realy fast over head

reply to post by WolliOli


Well spotted . I still get a thrill when I spot them with the naked eye , even though there are circa 2000 in orbit right now .

That's good to hear then haha I thought the manufacturers of the cigarettes I smoke were putting something in smokes for a minute then! Thanks again I will keep an eye out for them more often now

If you download Stellarium ( its free ) you can track satellites
and see when they are above your position, so you could time
your smokes to coincide with a satellite above. There
are hundreds of them up there.

That's good to hear then haha I thought the manufacturers of the cigarettes I smoke were putting something in smokes for a minute then! Thanks again I will keep an eye out for them more often now

yes they are visible at night, I saw ISS a couple months ago!

Check to see if the ISS flies over your area at any point, and also check to see if you can see any "iridium fares" from your locaton, they are much brighter than your average satellite, and quite a sight.

Here is a good place to get started:

www.heavens-above.com...

Stop Smoking......
Drugs are bad....mmmkay

reply to post by StarPeace


That is not a constructive post, and don't get me wrong, I do have a sense of humour, I may or may not have smiled at that, but, as you are a new member, let me give you advice against making posts like that unless you also add something constructive to the end

I often see satellites when star gazing. Sometimes they flare up like someone has flashed a torch (flash light) at you then dim back down. Unless these are not satellites. Can anyone confirm that satellites actually do this?

Most satellites will move across the sky at a slow speed, at least the ones that are visible to the naked eye. When I lived in rural Texas (not even one stop sign) I used to lay on my trampoline and watch them. Its harder to do in the city because of the unnatural glare at night.

reply to post by Namaste1001


Yes, as the sunlight catches the brightest part of the satellite, mainly the solar panels, again I bring up Iridium flares which are some of the best satellite flares caused by the Iridium communication Satellites , they are so bright they can even be spotted in daytime.

Yeah you can see them. They are in motion constantly.

Seems to be quite a few of us smokers out watching the skies at random times through the night

I've caught sight of quite a few satellites on my smoke breaks too.

That's the only time I've seen satellites are at night. The only time you need to get excited is when the object is either:

1. Really huge in size.
2. Darting from left to right at break neck speeds.
3. Vanishes right before your eyes.

Anything else can be explained away easily. From weather to swamp gas even if that's not what it actually was.

Originally posted by TheLieWeLive


1. Really huge in size.

The ISS can appear quite large

2. Darting from left to right at break neck speeds.

A lot of satellites that are close travel at "breakneck" speeds just to maintain orbit, again the ISS, which is in LEO, orbits the Earth 15.7 times a day, bit faster than your average family car, lol.

3. Vanishes right before your eyes.

When a satellite goes into the Earhs shadow, it can appear to just disappear