See A Satellite Tonight: Track and Observe Satellites in Your Sky

Many people have taken advantage of the quarantine to restore their relationship with old hobbies, and one of them is astronomy. Thanks to the meticulous documentation available and virtual planetariums, today we can find almost anything in the sky, but what about artificial satellites? With so many constellations and orbital space debris, something should be passing over our area, right? The portal See A Satellite Tonight takes care of detecting, tracking and anticipating all the satellites that will cross your sky during the day, without additional equipment.

A personal view of the night sky

I have always been interested in astronomy, but the local sky is, in a word, miserable. Light pollution ruins everything, and there is always an unexpected storm. Fortunately, the existence of tools like Stellarium and WinStars allowed me to get to know the sky better and enjoy it more. With technology as an ally, astronomy is much less frustrating, and if we are ever favored with a clearer sky than normal, we must make the most of it.

Tracking satellites with See A Satellite Tonight

That is where sites like See A Satellite Tonight come in. As its name suggests, it helps us track and observe all the artificial satellites that are going to pass through our region. On the left of the interface you can see upcoming events, each with its corresponding local time. You can also force the use of another location, and it will automatically adjust the results with the correct time zone.

Depending on the region, See A Satellite Tonight presents a combination of OpenStreetMap and Google Street View, simulating the satellite's trajectory in the sky. This includes a weather report, and a link with extra information about the object in question. Now, “satellite” is a fairly generic term in this case. The next object that will pass over my city in the next few hours is nothing more than the remains of a rocket launched by the Chinese in 2009.

In short, See A Satellite Tonight definitely deserves your attention. Needless to say, the final result will depend on how clear the sky is in your city, but I reckon you will be able to see something without much difficulty.

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