How to see deployed Starlink "Racetrack" flares

Rough Sitrec Permalink (without TLE) : https://www.metabunk.org/u/ey4spW.html

Since we get a few timelapses, I've added a "Simulation Speed" in the "Start Date/Time" folder. This is best adjusted on frame 0 (the time calculations are based around syncing to a video, but of course there's no video in the generic Night Sky sitch, but that's still how it works).

It's saves in the permalink, here's the updated one for the above with it set to 16 (a rough match)
https://www.metabunk.org/u/TXQnKU.html

Looks like there's several planes there. In theory you could drop in their KMLs. It's an excellent video.
 
Nice video of Starlink Flares here from the Centro Astronómico de Trevinca, in northwestern Spain:
Nice video. Should send it to Ryan Graves' organization, as it's coming from an astronomical center, and doesn't have the baggage of skepticism associated with it. Enough of these videos from observatories and he'll have to concede, although with the number of future launches, it's set to get much busier up there soon and I think the mystery will diminish.
 
A localish report, I looked in Stirec but did not see a train, perhaps the TLEs are not up to date enough if this was a recent launch?

They say "about 25 of them" in another reply

~19:00 UTC (GMT)

Location is approx 53.67682508458437, -2.982139100781373

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The time appears to be accurare to UTC-3 Time. It matches with sitrec exactly.

1. Please excuse my poor production.
2. @Mick West permalinks arent being generated.





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A nice image and article about how to see starlink flares...

https://catchingtime.com/starlink-satellite-swarm-from-37n-latitude/

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We're back to the time of year when the predominance of Starlink satellites can be briefly illuminated low over the northern horizon as the sun approaches the Summer Solstice here in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere. This predictable phenomenon is currently little known, and recognized only by the few who have directly observed it (and chosen not to attribute the 'bright lights in the sky' to UAP phenomena). This phenomenon of concentrated flaring has been occasionally reported by airline pilots who often have clear views at night from high altitudes in the polar directions (northwest to northeast in the northern hemisphere, etc.), which makes the satellites easier to observe; see the HeavensAbove diagram below for a graphical depiction of the illuminated satellites.

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This image is particularly interesting, showing the western 'dusk' flares and eastern 'dawn' flares.
I first directly observed this last April while shooting night panoramas in San Juan County, UT, and described the phenomenon as 'satellites flaring at their most-northerly orbits', but am now adopting 'satellite swarm' as it seems more apt. If you know when and where to look this time of year this flaring is quite a sight, as the brighter flares that occur at ~8° above the horizon can reach magnitudes approaching -3! I routinely witness as many as 5 satellites within the limited field of view of typical binoculars, and the flaring generally occurs over about 30 seconds, with the brightest reflections occurring for as little as 5-8 seconds. There are two flare phases visually apparent prior to the summer solstice: 1) a 'dusk flare' that occurs in the northwest part of the sky (~10° in elevation) ~90 minutes prior to 'astronomical midnight' (e.g. when the sun is at its lowest point below the horizon) , and 2) a 'dawn flare' that occurs approximately 90 minutes after astronomical midnight and is observed in the northeast.
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Putting those details into sitrec....
  • San Juan, UTAH - 37.65N -109.9W
  • April 9 2024 around 0126hrsLocal
https://www.metabunk.org/u/E7V54J.html
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A nice capture of Starlink satellites by this YouTuber... "StrangeNormal"

Strange Normal is a Christian show and podcast committed to exploring and analyzing current news and events from a Biblical perspective. Since its inception in 2020, SNRG has been dedicated to providing insightful commentary on the shifting cultural landscape, all while grounding discussions in scripture. Our goal is to present a Christ-centered viewpoint on a wide range of topics, from societal trends to global affairs
External Quote:

Source: https://m.youtube.com/shorts/vkpD9MOpAAU

Full video with commentary...

Source: https://youtu.be/Dy8VETJqLCg?t=4919
 
Not race track but close enough:

Finally got to see a train last Sat 5/11 at about 9 EST in N Florida.

Was out looking for the solar flare event and right as going back inside here they come from the N / NW. They had an awesome green hue and if I didn't know about it I would have freaked out.
 

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1ftqbbt/sighting_in_rural_northern_michigan

Sorry. It was Saturday night! My brother and I were standing on the beach at a small lake near my house in Benzie County, MI at about 10:30 PM on September 28th. We were facing west and witness four lights that looked like stars to the northwest begin moving in four different directions away from each other (i.e. spreading out) at a slow and steady pace. They eventually gradually faded out from view. Over the next 30-40 minutes these lights would fade in and out of view and travel in different directions, sometimes in pairs or groups of up to four, or sometimes just one. Occasionally there would be two or three traveling toward the north and one traveling toward the south. They would also travel up, down, and diagonal at times. They always traveled at a consistent and relatively slow rate, and they would eventually fade out of view after a minute or two, and then reappear somewhere else in the sky, but in the same small area to the northwest just above the tree line. There was no sound, and they never changed colors or blinked. It was impossible to guess the distance they were away, although I will say that it seemed far. Northwest of this location is all farmland and national forest, and then Lake Michigan. If I had to guess I would say these were over Lake Michigan. This continued for at least half an hour, with the lights fading in and out of view and moving in various directions, always at the same speed. Eventually they faded out and didn't return, and we left the beach. My brother had his fancy camera and got pictures and video, which I will upload. Some of the photos are timelapses which show the trails as the lights moved, including abrupt changes in direction.
 
It's good that they used a tripod! Here's all the frames stacked.
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Indeed. I like the fact that you can eyeball the fast moving things as moving between 10 and 20 times faster than the slow-moving things. Which immediately (assuming no propulsion) puts them in LEO. (e.g. 16x -> 90min ~> ISS altitude)

I also liked the feature in the linked-to site on reddit, https://satellitemap.space/ , which doesn't just show you orbitting ones, but also de-orbitting ones. I noticed a coloured dot, got curious, zoomed in and it became an ellipse, and finally reached this:
feature.png

With that feature, if you're quick enough with a report, even some anomalous tracks can be identified.
 
Nice video of Starlink flares from Argentina. Might be able to sync this one up with the time code visible. Not sure how accurate the clock is though.


Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1b0l68p/ufo_activity_recorded_in_the_province_of_san_luis/

Someone has made a reaction video to the Starlink sighting that we debunked back in February....


Source: https://youtu.be/0s933PR8z78?si=jjG0Nsi1skbeZD5U

This is a good example of how people that are unfamiliar with the Starlink flare phenomenon interpret what they see incorrectly. It's not surprising that so many people have described them as UAP/UFOs .
 
This is a good example of how people that are unfamiliar with the Starlink flare phenomenon interpret what they see incorrectly. It's not surprising that so many people have described them as UAP/UFOs .
"something they're not telling you", eh?

There could well be something they're not telling you - it's the stuff that you should already have learnt when you were younger, things like science, logic, and critical thinking skills. It's not the government's fault you skipped those lessons.

How can you be unfamiliar with Starlink? Genuinely, how, In particular if you are a skywatcher?

This is willful ignorance.
 
Nice collection of Starlink Flares observed from the southern hemisphere and claimed as UAP here... including a timestamped clip from Hawaii....


Source: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCMNusSJTsx/?igsh=MTV4azVoaTFqeWNjZA==



Subaru Telescope, Hawaii,
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Subaru+Telescope/@19.8255253,-155.475995,15z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x7953962aa12bf5bf:0x382aeb6a6e1dac07!2sSubaru+Telescope!8m2!3d19.8255253!4d-155.475995!16zL20vMDE3MHI5!3m5!1s0x7953962aa12bf5bf:0x382aeb6a6e1dac07!8m2!3d19.8255253!4d-155.475995!16zL20vMDE3MHI5?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTExMy4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw==

12 October 2024 3.30am HST = 1330 UTC
19.825505114128212, -155.4756731349433


https://www.metabunk.org/u/sqsTOw.html
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