Satellite watching
Encyclopedia
Satellite watching or satellite spotting is a hobby
which consists of the observation
and tracking
of Earth
artificial satellites. People with this hobby are variously called satellite watchers, trackers, spotters, observers, etc.
Amateur satellite spotting traces back to the days of early artificial satellites when the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
launched the Operation Moonwatch
(1956), a program to enlist amateur astronomer
s in the effort to track Soviet
sputniks, in an analogy with the World War II
Ground Observer Corps
program to spot enemy bombers. Moonwatch was crucial until professional stations were deployed in 1958. The program was discontinued in 1975.
There are many planetarium
and satellite tracking computer program
s to aid satellite spotting. More recently, accompanied by the development of Augmented Reality technologies, satellite watching mobile programs have been developed.
In February 2008 the front page of The New York Times
hosted an article about an amateur satellite watcher Ted Molczan in relation to the story about falling American spy satellite USA 193
. American officials were reluctant to provide information about the satellite, and instead, Ted Molczan, as the article says, "uncovers some of the deepest of the government’s expensive secrets and shares them on the Internet."
NASA
's Orbital Information Group have been providing free information about over 10,000 objects in Earth orbit. Recently this has been identified as a security threat, and a pilot program was launched in 2008 to replace the OIG website with a US Air Force site with more restrictive access.
Hobby
A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.- Etymology :A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse...
which consists of the observation
Observation
Observation is either an activity of a living being, such as a human, consisting of receiving knowledge of the outside world through the senses, or the recording of data using scientific instruments. The term may also refer to any data collected during this activity...
and tracking
Tracking
Tracking can refer to:*Tracking , separating children into different classes according to their academic ability*Tracking, in computer graphics, a vital part of match moving...
of Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
artificial satellites. People with this hobby are variously called satellite watchers, trackers, spotters, observers, etc.
Amateur satellite spotting traces back to the days of early artificial satellites when the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is a research institute of the Smithsonian Institution headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it is joined with the Harvard College Observatory to form the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics .-History:The SAO was founded in 1890 by...
launched the Operation Moonwatch
Operation Moonwatch
Operation Moonwatch was an amateur science program formally initiated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in 1956 . The SAO organized Moonwatch as part of the International Geophysical Year which was probably the largest single scientific undertaking in history...
(1956), a program to enlist amateur astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
s in the effort to track Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
sputniks, in an analogy with the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Ground Observer Corps
Ground Observer Corps
The Ground Observer Corps was a series of Civil Defense programs in the United States to protect against air attack. First begun in World War II by the Army Air Forces, the 1.5 million civilian observers at 14,000 coastal observation posts used naked eye and binocular searches to find invading...
program to spot enemy bombers. Moonwatch was crucial until professional stations were deployed in 1958. The program was discontinued in 1975.
There are many planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
and satellite tracking computer program
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
s to aid satellite spotting. More recently, accompanied by the development of Augmented Reality technologies, satellite watching mobile programs have been developed.
In February 2008 the front page of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
hosted an article about an amateur satellite watcher Ted Molczan in relation to the story about falling American spy satellite USA 193
USA 193
USA-193, also known as NRO launch 21 , was an American military spy satellite launched on December 14, 2006. It was the first launch conducted by the United Launch Alliance...
. American officials were reluctant to provide information about the satellite, and instead, Ted Molczan, as the article says, "uncovers some of the deepest of the government’s expensive secrets and shares them on the Internet."
NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Orbital Information Group have been providing free information about over 10,000 objects in Earth orbit. Recently this has been identified as a security threat, and a pilot program was launched in 2008 to replace the OIG website with a US Air Force site with more restrictive access.
Satellite watcher clubs
There are many satellite watcher clubs, which collect observations and issue awards for observations according to various rules.- The Astronomical LeagueAstronomical LeagueThe Astronomical League is an umbrella organization of amateur astronomy societies. Currently their membership consists of over 240 organizations across the United States, along with a number of Members-at-Large, Patrons, and Supporting members....
has the Earth Orbiting Satellite Observers Club.