Satellite Spotting and Prediction Resources

Finding Visible Satellites from NOVAC Observing Sites

The following links will take you to the German Space Operations Center's Satellite Visibility web page, bookmarked for observing sites used frequently by NOVAC members. The GSOC Satvis web site will allow you to search for visual satellites passes at three different magnitude ranges, depending on sky conditions; obtain flyover times for the Russian space station Mir over the next ten days; as well as determine your opportunities to view any Iridium flares (potentially extremely bright reflections off Iridium communications satellites) that may by visible at each specified location:

For those interested in creating a GSOC SatVis bookmark for their own backyard or for any other convenient locations, you can create one using the:

Note: You will need to enter your latitude and longitude fairly precisely (rounded to the nearest minute should be close enough), in degree decimal form, making sure that the longitude value is a negative number for locations west of the prime meridian (including the DC metropolitan area). In order to convert latitude/longitude coordinates from minutes to decimals, simply round the seconds up to the nearest minute, then divide the minutes by 60. For example, 38°16'41"N, 77°28'09"W would be converted to 38.283N and -77.467W. (16'41" when rounded becomes simply 17': 17/60=.283; 28'09" when rounded becomes 28': 28/60 =.467.) For those wishing more precise decimal locations, convert the minutes to seconds, add any seconds value to that total, then divide by 3600 [60 minutes times 60 seconds]. For example, to convert 38°16'41"N to the nearest second would mean multiplying 16' times 60 seconds, giving a value of 960, and then adding the remaining 41 to that to get 1001. 1001 divided by 3600 = .278. Thus, 38°16'41"N becomes 38.278 when factored to the nearest second.)

Local Web Sites Devoted to Satellite Observing

Additionally, Geoff Chester, public affairs officer for the US Naval Observatory, as well as Craig Cholar (also of the Navy) both maintain a very helpful resources for those living inside the Beltway. Both include Iridium flare predictions; Geoff Chester's BrightSats page also includes predictions for other naked-eye satellites visible from the Washington area:

For those in Southeast Virginia, you may find the following site of interest:

And for those in Maryland, there are the following:

Finding Satellite Prediction Software and Data (element sets) on the Web

For those who wish to learn more about visual satellite observing, or who might want to try their hand at doing their own predictions on their own personal computers, the following mirror sites are especially helpful:

Some additional sources of prediction software, as well as satellite orbital element sets for use with such software:

Synchronizing Time

Lastly, visual satellite observing requires having fairly accurate time keeping. The following web sites will help you set your watch, field clock, or even your home computer so that it is synchronized with the US Naval Observatories official time:

USNO Master Time Clock - What Time Is It? USNO Eastern Time Online Clock