Am I the only one who thinks people are way too quick to call any light in the sky a 'satellite'?

I was out last night in my backyard in Phoenix, just looking up, and a guy next to me pointed at a steady light moving fast and said 'cool satellite.' Thing is, it was clearly an airplane. The steady light had that faint red blink if you watched long enough, and the path was all wrong for a polar orbit. People see any moving dot and just guess. It matters because it muddies the water for actual satellite spotting, like when the Starlink train goes over. I've been tracking passes for about six months now with the Heavens-Above app, and you learn the real paths and speeds. A real satellite doesn't blink, and it fades out when it hits the Earth's shadow. How do you all tell the difference when you're just looking with your eyes?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivanbell9d ago

Used to think that until I got the app too.

diana_kim669d ago

Got the app" doesn't mean it's a big deal though.

aaron7409d ago

Funny how getting the app changes the whole game. It's not about bragging rights, it's about the actual stuff you can do now that was locked before. That shift from outsider to user is a real experience, not just an opinion.