Re: Unwanted satellite tracks in astrophotos

From: Mark Hanning-Lee (markhl@prodigy.net)
Date: Sat Feb 22 2003 - 19:57:57 EST

  • Next message: paul: "8305 obs 23feb"

    Yes, I think I would do that.
    
    Maybe they find that for short exposures you can just
    review it & take again.
    
    For long exposures maybe the accumulated light from
    the target & light pollution overpowers all but the
    brightest sat trails, though I am not sure about that.
    
    As someone else noted, maybe the trails that you do
    see above 30 deg elevation outside astronomical
    twilight are typically not that bright.
    
    Or maybe they just see it as another thing that
    happens like daylight, the moon, laser light shows,
    clouds, plane trails, electronic noise, running out of
    cryogenic coolant, ... !
    
    Mark
    
    --- "Matson, Robert" <ROBERT.D.MATSON@saic.com> wrote:
    > Hi All,
    > 
    > Regarding (unwanted) satellite tracks in
    > astrophotographs, Tony wrote:
    > 
    > > Astronomers using wide field telescopes ( like the
    > UK schimdt at
    > > Siding Spring mountain ) ,have been complaining
    > for 20 years Tom.
    > > There is a particularly bad example published many
    > years ago in
    > > Sky & Telescope that shows 5 trails on one plate.
    > ...
    > 
    > What's surprising is that more astrophotographers
    > don't make use
    > of computer programs have existed since the early
    > 1990s (e.g.
    > SkyMap) that completely eliminate the problem.  In a
    > matter of
    > seconds, you can find every satellite that is going
    > to intersect
    > your camera's field of view during the exposure time
    > and plan
    > accordingly.  Suppose you want to take a 1-hour
    > exposure, and
    > three objects will transit the FOV during that hour.
    >  If shifting
    > the start time of the exposure is not an option, all
    > you have to
    > do is temporarily block your aperture during the few
    > seconds
    > that each satellite will pass through.
    > 
    > Cheers,
    > Rob
    
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