The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Satellite System
Spatial Coordinates
- To view satellites in the sky you need to understand “Elevation” – “Azimuth” and “Magnitude”. Satellite tracking websites use these “coordinates” to tell you where and when to look.
- Elevation tells you how high in the sky to look. Zero (0°) is the horizon. 45° is halfway up. 90° is straight up. Raise your arm to estimate elevation.
- Azimuth tells you which direction to look. Spin yourself around to estimate the azimuth.
0° is north, 90° is east, 180° is south, 270° is west. Using a compass will be helpful. - Magnitude tells you the brightness. Oddly, a -3 is brighter than a -1. Next to the moon, the International Space Station (ISS) is the brightest object in the sky.
- Time: You will be given times for the start, highest, and end coordinates.
- If within five seconds you can’t tell if it is moving, it is not a satellite.
- Satellites appear very similar to airplanes in the sky
- Satellites do not blink. Red and green lights indicate an airplane.
- Be on time! Satellites pass over fairly quickly, 5-8 minutes maximum from horizon to horizon. They are 300 miles high, but are moving 17,500 mph! Ten times faster than a bullet! They may travel over 5,000 land miles from start to end.
