About Starlink Satellite Photos, Starlink rocket launches are stunning, but active satellite trails are more spectacular in the night sky. However, the internet service’s mega-constellation contains reflective, bright satellites that might affect astronomy images from ground stations.
We will explain how to spot & take Starlink satellite photos and how this armada of space vehicles is causing pollution for astronomers. Take a look!
Table of Contents
- How Does Starlink Work?
- Is Starlink Creating Space Clutter?
- Starlink’s Impact on Astronomy
- SpaceX’s Response
- How To Photograph Starlink Satellites
- Wrap Up
How Does Starlink Work?
Starlink currently has about 3,500 satellites in orbit and has plans to launch 10,000 to 12,000 vehicles into low-earth orbit to complete its internet satellite constellation.
These thousands of satellites should provide full earth coverage, delivering fast internet connectivity to remote areas and regions where internet coverage is patchy.
A Starlink internet satellite in space
Is Starlink Creating Space Clutter?
Space junk or clutter occurs when satellites become defunct or fragment due to impact with other spacecraft in orbit.
Since the Starlink constellation operates in low earth orbit, some satellites can hit other space vehicles, creating wreckage fragments that cause more damage while flying at high speeds.
And these are not assumptions. There have been several near misses involving Starlink satellites and the Chinese space station.
Considering companies like Amazon (Kuiper) and OneWeb want to launch their satellites into low earth orbit, there might be higher collision risks in the future that increase space debris at this altitude.
The international space station
If that happens, low earth orbit might be unusable, and we might be unable to launch rockets to higher altitudes to place more satellites into orbit.
Other Collision Risks
The ESA announced in 2019 that it directed its Aeolus satellite to undertake evasive maneuvers to avoid collision with Starlink 44 (one of the satellites in the first mega constellation launch).
Computer models at the time also showed Starlink satellites in about 1,600 encounters where two space vehicles are close than a kilometer (0.6 miles) from each other. And this number increases with each space launch.
So you can picture the number of potential encounters once Starlink and the other operators complete their constellations.
Starlink’s Impact on Astronomy
With over 3,500 satellites in LEO, Elon Musk’s company has negatively impacted radio and optical astronomical observations.
After the first record-breaking launch of 60 satellites in space in 2019, the linear string of lights created a spectacular display that surprised almost everyone, including the astronomical community and SpaceX.
The linear string of pearls. How Starlink satellites appear after launch.
But it wasn’t as spectacular and exciting to the astronomical community because the researchers began to panic as they noticed satellite streaks in their data. They showed photos with satellite streaking from observatories, such as the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) near San Diego and the Lowell Observatory in Arizona.
They conducted studies from 2019 to 2021 that showed most streaks appearing in twilight images, with an increase from 0.5% to 20% of the photos being affected. Twilight images are vital to finding potentially dangerous comets and asteroids coming to the earth from the sun’s direction. So satellite streaks on these images are a big concern.
And remember, the constellation is not even half of its intended size. ZTF astronomers expect the additional internet satellites to cause streaks in all twilight images once the constellation is complete.
Radio astronomers also expect interference from the Starlink satellite radio-based antennas.
SpaceX’s Response
SpaceX began outfitting VisorSats or blackened sunshades on their satellites to minimize sunlight reflection as they cruise above the earth.
The first DarkSat launched in 2021 featured a black anti-reflective coating, making it half as bright when observed from ground stations.
Satellite streaking might not be an issue for telescope observations.
And there’s only a tiny chance astronomers might miss comets or asteroids behind satellite streaks from images captured by the current observatories.
Three Starlink satellites are traveling into position at the right orbital altitude.
But future observatories with more sensitive optics, like the Vera Rubin Observatory, might experience more outsized light pollution effects.
Although the anti-reflective coating rendered the vehicle invisible to the naked eye, the reflection was still too bright for the Vera Rubin Observatory.
Plus, black retains too much heat in the satellite, so SpaceX resorted to the more reflective visor alternative, which is brighter, but not as much as the original satellites.
An astronomical observatory in Chile
How To Photograph Starlink Satellites
The Starlink satellite network circles the earth from an altitude of approximately 342 miles. But the best time to spot the space vehicles is not when they are in final orbital height.
They are easier to spot a day or two after a successful launch, where they appear as a string of pearls or bright lights as they climb to their orbital height.
The internet-beaming satellites become increasingly harder to spot as they ascend, but you can still spot them with special equipment.
Here’s a list of what you need to capture Starlink satellite photos.
- A pro camera with a manual mode and exposure delay or self-timer mode
- Tripod
- Wide-angle lens
- Smartphone with a compass or night sky app
- Bungee cord
- Viewfinder cap
- External shutter release
A professional camera mounted on a tripod
How To Spot a Starlink Satellite Near Your Location
You can use this website to locate the satellites or check out this map that indicates the global Starlink satellite coverage, including the active, inactive, and burned units on reentry.
Once you find the satellite locations and their projected trajectory, head out at night when there are clear skies to capture them when passing by your area.
A silhouette of Starlink satellites in LEO
If possible, drive out of town to reduce the likelihood of light pollution to get sharper images. You can find the less polluted areas using this map. The compass app will help you locate yourself and how to point the camera.
Step 1
Adjust the camera settings to get a well-exposed picture in the dark sky. Play around with the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed in manual mode until you get it right. Try using ISO100, f/2.8, and 20 seconds.
A camera’s white balance, ISO, and exposure compensation settings
Step 2
Once you get it right, place your camera on a tripod and aim it in the satellite direction. Keep the horizon close to the frame’s bottom to capture a large sky area.
Step 3
After that, engage live view and zoom to the brightest star, then turn your camera’s lens to manual focus and turn the focus knob until the star is as sharp and small as possible. Zoom the lens back out without touching the focus knob.
Step 4
Stabilize your tripod by attaching the camera bag using a bungee cord. Strong winds can wobble the unit, ruining the image quality.
Step 5
Pop the viewfinder cap into the camera, followed by the remote shutter release. Alternatively, you can use the exposure delay or self-timer mode.
Step 6
Snap a few test shots before the satellites come into view while gauging the exposure using the histogram, which should steep towards the left.
Adjust the manual settings if the histogram steeps too harshly on the left. The image will have some noise, but you can reduce it when editing later.
A long-exposure image of star tracks in the sky
Wrap Up
In conclusion, Starlink satellites have caused several issues with astronomers, but they are great for photography. Capturing Starlink satellite photos requires a camera when in their final orbit.
But the string of pearls will form more stunning images if you snap the space vehicles a day or two after launch.
So use the steps above to try your luck at satellite photography. And leave a comment below if you need help capturing the long-exposure images. We’ll be in touch.
