I think I saw a Satellite...

[Jerous]

I was in the back yard tonight, setting up my telescope and bring things out of the house.

At 5:58-6:00pm ( I checked the time after I saw it ). I saw what looked like a mid to faint star, except it was tracking smoothly through the early evening sky at quite a fast pace. Not shooting star pace though, and it stayed at the same brightness for a long time. I didn't have my Binoculars out yet, so I didn't get a closer look at it but I watched it track through the sky for a while.

I know it was not a plane because I observed quite a few a bit later with my binos. This looked WAYYYY higher than the planes were and was just a dot.

If you took the mid point between Rigil Kent and Hadar. Then the mid point between Spica and Arcturus. And then drew a line between those points, that was roughly the line it took. ( Sorry explaining it as best I can ).

Since it was just after sunset, was it a satellite that still had the sun reflecting off it, hence the brightness? If so is there anyway to track down what Satellite I saw? I am keeping an observing log, I'd love to find the name of it.

I've checked a few free Sat tracking sites but I can't see anything matching it.

[jjjnettie]

:D http://www.heavens-above.com/
Just register, log in your location, and you'll be able to find out in advance when the brighter satellites including the ISS and the Hubble Space Telescope pass over head.
If you have kids, they just love to go satellite spotting.

[Jerous]

Yup, I do have kids, I think they'd like doing something with that level of attention span :)

Ok I've signed up to that site, I did check it yesterday without registering and it did not give me that level of detail.

It was one of these....

CZ-2C R/B 3.9 17:52:34 10° S 17:57:28 42° WSW 18:02:20 10° NW
H-2A R/B 1.2 17:56:20 10° S 17:59:51 71° W 18:03:05 10° NNW
SL-16 R/B 2.7 17:57:25 10° NE 18:03:19 48° ESE 18:09:18 10° S
Cosmos 2333 Rocket 3.5 17:57:29 10° SSE 18:01:37 20° ESE 18:05:43 10° ENE
Cosmos 2360 Rocket 4.3 17:58:40 10° SW 18:03:39 32° WNW 18:08:37 10° NNW
Cosmos 1812 Rocket 3.9 17:58:42 10° S 18:03:16 75° W 18:07:41 10° N

But I don't have enough star knowledge to chart which one it would have been. Time wise, I think CZ-2C or H-aA might match up. Everything else would have been in the sky too long.

[jjjnettie]

You'll get the hang of it, once you've nabbed a few.
The Iridium Flares, they're very special. Real jaw droppers.
Good luck with the hunting. :D