FARK.com: (1610485) Learn when earth-orbiting satellites and space stations will be visible with your naked eye. Scare primitive cultures into thinking you are a god by "making" things will streak across the sky

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(Some Guy)		Learn when earth-orbiting satellites and space stations will be visible with your naked eye. Scare primitive cultures into thinking you are a god by "making" things will streak across the sky (heavens-above.com)		56
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15531 clicks; posted to Main » on 08 Aug 2005 at 12:09 AM | Favorite | share:

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Quick1		2005-08-07 10:42:23 PM

Alternatively, prove to submitter you are a god by speaking well good English.

rob_md		2005-08-08 12:11:52 AM

Been using that site for years. Have yet to spot an iridium flare, though.

Gameshot911		2005-08-08 12:12:12 AM

I've done stuff like this before..its interesting the first few times..especially when it flares up...but very quickly it becomes the same thing over and over.

ratticus.finch		2005-08-08 12:13:00 AM

That headline makes no sense.

the_gospel_of_thomas		2005-08-08 12:17:06 AM

Learn when earth-orbiting satellites and space stations will be visible with your naked eye. Scare primitive cultures into thinking you are a god by "making" things will streak across the sky

... unless it's overcast, then they will just throw in more carrots and garlic while the pot begins to simmer.

/Just SOL'n

MrWizard020		2005-08-08 12:17:20 AM

I for one welcome our new (apparent) comet causing overlords. (had to be said)

RoyBatty		2005-08-08 12:17:22 AM

No iridium flares, but I found a couple of -2 magnitude anal flares.

skippy2057		2005-08-08 12:18:44 AM

I hate the anal flares...

wadems		2005-08-08 12:19:18 AM

Lots of fundies will swear the spots in the sky collectively make the appearance of the virgin mary and baby jesus.

RoyBatty		2005-08-08 12:19:41 AM

(More seriously, Heavens Above has turned me into a skygod for my kids. They've seen the space shuttle and the space station fly overhead.)

What's very cool is to use Google Earth to get your exact lat lon to feed into heavens above, and then use the lat lon from heavens above to determine the best location to catch an iridium flare.

plutonium239		2005-08-08 12:20:02 AM

Primitive culures already think I'm a god.

And if I want to see heavenly bodies, I just click the Boobies links...

mediaphile		2005-08-08 12:20:56 AM

Qwertyuiop		2005-08-08 12:22:19 AM

wierd submission launguage

MemeSlider		2005-08-08 12:23:56 AM

Submitter probably went to public school. Leave 'em alone... it's not his fault.

nero_design		2005-08-08 12:24:26 AM

Speaking of which....

/(3.5 hours to go before return to Earth BTW)

jonasborg		2005-08-08 12:25:23 AM

mmm...naked

wadems		2005-08-08 12:26:53 AM

And if I want to see heavenly bodies, I just click the Boobies links...

Fark still has boobies links?

Shadow_weaveR		2005-08-08 12:28:03 AM

Cudos on the headline submitter :)

RockIsDead		2005-08-08 12:28:55 AM

MemeSlider: Submitter probably went to public school. Leave 'em alone... it's not his fault

Think of it as a Delayed Successful Submission Headline.

fransaskois		2005-08-08 12:31:32 AM

What I want to know is when the Google Maps Sattelite is passing by so that I can write obscenties on my roof.

"Yeah, to find my house, look on Google Maps. Mine's the one with F--K written on the roof."

Venge		2005-08-08 12:31:41 AM

RoyBatty: What's very cool is to use Google Earth to get your exact lat lon to feed into heavens above, and then use the lat lon from heavens above to determine the best location to catch an iridium flare.

Google Earth will only give me the degree form, how do I make it spit up the lat/long, or convert to lat/long?

Satan_Himself		2005-08-08 12:33:44 AM

Cudos on the headline submitter :)

It's hard to decide whether you're stupid or sarcastic.

RoyBatty		2005-08-08 12:37:06 AM

I believe that's a preference setting. And/or look in the lower left corner of the view window -- that's where I get the info from. (Not near my laptop at the moment.)

Durtey Baum		2005-08-08 12:37:09 AM

Do all our base are belong to you, submitter?

Logweasel		2005-08-08 12:39:27 AM

"Alright, stop right there, and I'll bring back the sun."

Dwedit		2005-08-08 12:41:38 AM

I'm sure this information would be useful for all you Connecticut Yankees out there.

laser47		2005-08-08 12:44:31 AM

If you go to the main page at http://www.heavens-above.com (pops) you can register, and save several different location's Lat/Long(s)

The more accurate you put in your coordinates, the better it will predict the flares.

/ Used it several times to see Iridium flares and the ISS
// Flares can be BRIGHT (look for -5 to -7's)
/// ISS can go from one horizon to the other

moosen		2005-08-08 12:47:14 AM

There was this one time up in maine, a couple of friends and i were up in the mountains looking at the stars, and we were trying to spot things making will streaking crossing sky the stars and making streaking the maine were many will.

laser47		2005-08-08 12:52:48 AM

Venge
In Google Earth, under Tools->Options, deselect "Show Lat/Long in Degrees, Minutes, and Seconds."

Also, if you register on the main page (clikypop) you can enter "observing sites" in Deg/Min/Sec format.

jdbdallas		2005-08-08 12:53:18 AM

Me Forget Word!

AngryTimmy		2005-08-08 12:53:26 AM

I'm just a caveman. Your world frightens and confuses me!

dcigary		2005-08-08 12:58:47 AM

Iridium flares are sweet. You have to get your Lat and Lon exactly right or you'll never see 'em. Get a GPS and set the settings for your house.

I saw the ISS and Shuttle go over this morning around 6:15am here in South Texas. It was a good pass, nice and bright and no clouds.

FWIW, they also have an AvantGo channel that you can synch up with your palm.

/space geek
//been using heavens-above for years and years
///currently watchin NASA-TV to watch Shuttle landing

Handsome Jack Manitoba		2005-08-08 01:03:15 AM

This is going to be fun...

My fellow parishoners will be awed and amazed. I only hope to avoid being burned as a witch.

plutonium239		2005-08-08 01:14:41 AM

Why scare primitive societies, when you can make scare modern societies?

Underwear soiling goodness:

http://www.geocities.com/peacekeeper_icbm/images/PK_RV7.jpg

EdgeRunner		2005-08-08 02:46:23 AM

Make things, Will streak across the sky? No thanks! What things can we make to stop Will from streaking across the sky?

"Sure, man! I'll streak across your 'sky!' And I'll
streak across your lawn, your driveway, your dog,
your wife, whatever! I'm the freakin' deacon of
streakin'! Why, I'm not even wearin' pants right now!"

Zaphod42		2005-08-08 02:49:11 AM

iridium flares are very cool. especially during daylight hours.

keck314		2005-08-08 03:30:03 AM

Man, I love irridium flares. I've even seen them through overcast skies - in a way they're somewhat cooler that way, because instead of a bright point source, you get a halo that rapidly expands then contracts.

Never seen 'em during daylight, though I've caught a few at twilight.

Space is awesome.

/been trying to make a dashboard widget that grabs flare info off that page, but my coding skills suck.

OregonVet		2005-08-08 04:32:33 AM

It's against my programming to impersonate a deity.

skink		2005-08-08 04:36:43 AM

Rob M...

May be your night sky light pollution level. Since moving to British Columbia four years ago, I see them almost every night. In Florida, we never saw them either.

The flares are cool, but seeing four or five satellites moving in your sky is even cooler!

Devolving_Spud		2005-08-08 05:23:46 AM

Alright, Grammar Police! This is my first (Woohoo!) greenlight, and I messed up the grammar. Deal with it. Just so ya know, you only get to see a fragment of your headline when you write it, and there is no "preview" before you "submit". I saw it as soon as I hit "submit" but there was no way to go back.

If the Grammar Police still want to spank me and use body paints to write bad words on me, BRING...IT...ON...

waterrockets		2005-08-08 08:58:26 AM

Devolving_Spud: If the Grammar Police still want to spank me

I'm more interested in spanking you for getting greenlit on 10-year-old news. I need to quickly submit a battery of headlines spewing everything I know about astronomy. I'm sure to get a couple hits, right?

waterrockets		2005-08-08 09:00:54 AM

Devolving_Spud: This is my first (Woohoo!) greenlight

Oh, and 'grats :)

AgeOfReason		2005-08-08 09:12:37 AM

I have been scaring primitive cultures (neighborhood xians) for years. Starry Night Pro does a good job of telling me when flares will occur.

dittybopper		2005-08-08 09:40:38 AM

Meh. I've been doing this for at least 15 years. All you need is the right software. And technically, you don't even need the software. Back in the 60's, 70's, and early 80's hams were tracking satellites by hand.

Here is a good source for software to set up your own 'mission control':
AMSAT Software Page

Vec2017		2005-08-08 09:57:20 AM

I AM KIROK!!!

/surprised no one went there yet
//two slashes

dittybopper		2005-08-08 10:02:43 AM

I AM KIROK!!!

K1ROK DE N2KMF TKS FER CALL OM UR RST 599 599 BT OP HR IS BILL BILL ES QTH UPSTATE NY UPSTATE NY BT SO HW CPY? BT K1ROK DE N2KMF KN

/Oh, you meant KIROK. My bad.

klous		2005-08-08 10:03:17 AM

Works on modern societies too, I recall a recent public phenomenon where a man claimed to be able to call UFO's on command, he met a reporter in a baseball field on a weekend, they waited around a while and suddenly saw a glowing object way up in the sky. The reporter nearly shiat himself.

John5150		2005-08-08 10:15:00 AM

Feh, you can D/L Orbitron for free and it does pretty much the same thing

Recoil Therapy		2005-08-08 11:00:37 AM

Meh, I see large lights moving across the sky all the time.

(of course being near the landing pattern for CVG probably has something to do with that)

It is nice on a clear night to sit in the hot tub & stare at the stars & occasionally pick up a satellite moving across the sky.