{"id":18612,"date":"2018-03-09T17:33:27","date_gmt":"2018-03-09T09:33:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/weeks-after-its-launch-humanity-star-satellite-shines-in-west-coast-skies-at-last\/"},"modified":"2018-03-09T17:33:27","modified_gmt":"2018-03-09T09:33:27","slug":"weeks-after-its-launch-humanity-star-satellite-shines-in-west-coast-skies-at-last","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/weeks-after-its-launch-humanity-star-satellite-shines-in-west-coast-skies-at-last\/","title":{"rendered":"Weeks after its launch, \u2018Humanity Star\u2019 satellite shines in West Coast skies at last"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_403445\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-403445\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-403445\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/180309-humanity-630x376.jpg\" alt=\"Humanity Star viewing\" width=\"630\" height=\"376\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/180309-humanity-630x376.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/180309-humanity-768x458.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/180309-humanity.jpg 1150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-403445\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rocket Lab\u2019s map provides a sampling of the viewing opportunities for the Humanity Star satellite. (Humanity Star Graphic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s been a month and a half since Rocket Lab sent a sparkly satellite called Humanity Star into orbit, but we\u2019re just now getting into prime time for seeing it from the western United States.<\/p>\n<p>Humanity Star is a geodesic sphere made of carbon fiber and covered with 76 reflective panels, designed specifically to twinkle in dark skies as all those panels reflect sunlight before dawn and after dusk.<\/p>\n<p>The 39-inch-wide (meter-wide) satellite was sent into a nearly pole-to-pole orbit from New Zealand aboard Rocket Lab\u2019s low-cost Electron launch vehicle in January, along with three small Earth observation satellites.<\/p>\n<p>Sighting conditions depend on where the satellite is during the optimal times for viewing. During the day, of course, the satellite\u2019s reflections are lost in the sun\u2019s glare. During the depths of night, the satellite isn\u2019t at the right angle to reflect sunlight.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Why Humanity Star satellite is causing concern\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hSYoLs-9rQM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It took until early March for Humanity Star to get into the optimal orbital phase for West Coast sightings. Between now and March 27, there should be at least one sighting opportunity every day over Seattle. Another string of sightings is due to begin on May 7.<\/p>\n<p>Humanity Star\u2019s website tracks where the satellite is at any given time, and you can enter your location to find out the next time it\u2019ll be over your locale.<\/p>\n<p>The best way to plan your sighting is to plug your coordinates into Heavens-Above.com, a website that tracks not only Rocket Lab\u2019s satellite, but the International Space Station and other sky objects as well. If you do it right, you\u2019ll get a minute-by-minute map tracing the sparkle in the night sky.<\/p>\n<p>Tonight it\u2019s visible over Seattle for about five minutes, starting at 7:15 p.m. PT. Saturday night\u2019s viewing opportunity runs from 7:32 to 7:38 p.m. PT.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_403449\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-403449\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-403449 size-full-width\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/180309-skychart-630x632.jpg\" alt=\"Seattle viewing conditions for March 10\" width=\"630\" height=\"632\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/180309-skychart-630x632.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/180309-skychart-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/180309-skychart-768x770.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/180309-skychart-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/180309-skychart.jpg 811w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-403449\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This chart from Heavens Above tracks Humanity Star\u2019s position minute by minute on Saturday, March 10, as seen from Seattle. To get times and tracks for your locale, plug your coordinates into Heavens-Above.com. Click on the image for a larger version.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The idea of putting one more blinkin\u2019 object in the sky, for no other reason than to see it,&nbsp;rubs some astronomers the wrong way.&nbsp;But Rocket Lab didn\u2019t mean to cause a nuisance. Instead, CEO Peter Beck said he intended the highly reflective object to spark reflection on Earth as well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy&nbsp;hope is that all those looking up at it will look past it to the vast expanse of the universe and think a little differently about their lives, actions and what is important for&nbsp;<span class=\"il\">humanity,\u201d he said in a post-launch news release.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re one of those who\u2019s bugged by the potential for light pollution or orbital debris, this too shall pass. The composition, size and altitude of Humanity Star is such that it should descend to a fiery atmospheric re-entry and burn up completely within eight months or so.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Update for 7:35 p.m. PT March 9:<\/strong> When Humanity Star was launched, Rocket Lab said it could well rank as one of the brightest satellites in the sky, but science writer Dave Dickinson reports that the darn thing can be tough to spot:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/Astroguyz\/status\/972266683871219712<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/Astroguyz\/status\/972269540024385537<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, the Humanity Star could be seen:<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=972311201098104832&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2018%2Fhumanity-star-satellite-west-coast%2F&amp;sessionId=f029d02247272f15716bb1bba512c22c862dac1f&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"972311201098104832\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782801403997638477=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udc40#HumanityStar satellite 19:10 pass visible over Annapolis sky tonight. (upper dotted line in each pic). @NightCapApp pic.twitter.com\/IveIGMq2Ie<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jack T Coulson (@jack2cdr43) March 10, 2018<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=972313458506063872&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2018%2Fhumanity-star-satellite-west-coast%2F&amp;sessionId=f029d02247272f15716bb1bba512c22c862dac1f&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"972313458506063872\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782801403997638477=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Well that was cooler than I thought. Just watched the humanity star sail its way across the sky. https:\/\/t.co\/jvQDOhv8IT #humanitystar<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kris Mack (@krisannamack) March 10, 2018<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Update for 7:40 p.m. PT March 10:<\/strong>&nbsp;I finally spotted the satellite, which is indeed a tricky thing to see. The reflected sunlight flashes for just an instant at irregular intervals as the Humanity Star\u2019s shiny panels rotate to the correct angle. It\u2019s crucial to use the Heavens Above map to keep track of where to look for the flash at a particular time, then follow the projected path with your eyes to anticipate the next twinkle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rocket Lab\u2019s map provides a sampling of the viewing opportunities for the Humanity Star satellite. (Humanity Star Graphic) It\u2019s been a month and a half since Rocket Lab sent a sparkly satellite called Humanity Star into orbit, but we\u2019re just now getting into prime time for seeing it from the western United States. Humanity Star [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3051,544,4378],"class_list":["post-18612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-humanity-star","tag-rocket-lab","tag-skywatching"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18612"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18612\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}