Observing the Sky: Other Celestial Bodies - Unnatural Objects |
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| The night sky also holds some interesting objects that
originated (came from) here on Earth. These include NASA's space shuttles,
the International Space Station, and many, many satellites. All of
these can be seen without even using binoculars or a telescope.
The NASA Human Spaceflight site will show you where the International Space Station is located, and offer tips on viewing it. If you are patient and watch the dark sky on any given night, chances are good that you will spot a satellite. They appear as very small, very fast-moving specks of light. They move faster than commercial airplanes, and you won't see any flashing lights on them. If you spot what you think is a satellite, wait another 90 minutes and if it returns, it wasn't an airplane! Choose The Navy & Satellites from the left-hand menu to learn about satellites and how you can help scientists better understand how they move through space. |
 At first glance, this streak of light looks like a meteor, but it's actually the flare of light reflecting off of a satellite (courtesy of J.W. Young, NASA). |
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Contact:
CyberScientist@onr.navy.mil