After my phone call to Aunt Jean Friday night, (she's doing okay) I hopped into the car and headed out to my new favorite stargazing spot on Tower Hill Road. Had I had the forethought to check the night sky before leaving, I might not have gone. It had been a clear sunny day, so I figured it would be a clear dark night. Not so, silly me. Stepping out of the car at my site, I was disappointed to see a hazy cloud cover obscuring large sections of the sky and especially along the horizon in all directions. However, directly above me, visibility was relatively good, and looking up, I immediately spotted a satellite coming out of the northwest heading southeast. And then, I saw another satellite following about 30 seconds behind the first satellite, and on the same track heading in the same direction. About 30 seconds later, I saw another one, same thing. Then I saw another one, and as I stood there counting, a total of 17 satellites passed overhead, each about 30 seconds apart and in single file. I don't know how many I may have missed at the beginning of that satellite string. Watching them fly over in the night sky, I thought how strange, until I remembered a string of much closer together satellites I saw last summer. These were most likely Starlink satellites I was seeing tonight. From the internet....'A Starlink satellite train is a temporarily, visible formation of SpaceX satellites seen as a line of lights shortly after a launch. These closely grouped satellites are in a low-Earth orbit and are illuminated by the sun when the ground below is dark, making them visible. You can spot these trains a few days after a launch, typically at twilight, by tracking them on websites like Space or Find Starlink.' While watching these go over, I saw five other satellites going in various different directions which made a total of 22 satellites, and the most I've ever seen in such a short 10 minute time frame. I also saw three aircraft, and two Iridium flares while there. An Iridium flare is a bright flash of light caused by sunlight reflecting off the polished antennas of iridium communication satellites. These flares can be surprisingly bright, even reaching magnitudes of -8, which is brighter than Venus. They are predictable and can be observed by anyone with a clear view of the night sky and some basic knowledge of when and where to look. 
A LARGE SHIP AT THE GODERICH GRAIN TERMINAL THIS MORNING
THE BULK CARRIER BLACKY BUILT IN CHINA SAILS UNDER THE FLAG OF CYPRUS
GROANER'S CORNER:(( Two buddies are fishing, but they haven’t caught anything all day. Then, another fisherman walks by with a huge load of fish. They ask him "excuse me, but where did you get all those fish?" The other fisherman replies,” If you just go down the stream until the water isn't salty, there are a ton of hungry fish." They thank him and go on their way. 15 minutes later, one fisherman says to the other "fill the bucket up with water and see if the water is salty." He dips the bucket in the stream and drinks some. "Nope. Still salty." 30 minutes later, he asks him to check again. "Nope, still salty." One our later they check again. "Nope. Still salty." "This isn't good," the fisherman finally says. "We have been walking for almost two hours, and the water is still salty!" "I know," says the other. "And the bucket is almost empty!"
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True hospitality is making your guests feel like they ARE at home...... all the while you really wish they WERE at home!
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Q) Why did the policeman ticket the ghost on Halloween?
A) It didn’t have a haunting license.
Q) What are a ghost’s favorite rides at the fair?
A) The scary-go-round and rollerghoster!
Q) Why couldn’t the ghost see its mom and dad?
A) Because they were trans-parents!
Q) Which ghost is the best dancer?
A) The Boogie Man!
Q) Why do ghosts like to ride in elevators?
A) It raises their spirits.
Q) What do you get if you cross Bambi with a ghost?
A)Bamboo.
Q) Why don’t ghosts like rain on Halloween?
A) It dampens their spirits!
Q) What part of a house do ghosts and spirits avoid?
A) The living room.
Q) Why are ghosts such terrible liars?
A) Because you can see right through them.
Q) How did the little ghost learn to play the piano?
A) By using sheet music
Q) Why did the ghost go into the bar?
A) For the Boos.
Q) Where does a ghost go on vacation?
A) Mali-boo.
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Hi, found a puppy yet ?💐💐
ReplyDeleteGlad Aunt Jean is OK. So interesting all those satellites, thanks for the explanation.
ReplyDeleteBarb M.
Missing Kelly and Pheebs remembrances and photos.
ReplyDeleteGuess he's moved on!
DeleteBible says in the end times a third of the stars will fall out of the sky. My guess is they will be satellites and caused by CMEs (Coronal Mass Ejections = plasma ejection from the sun) degrading satellite operation and charging systems.
ReplyDeleteThat's fascinating. I must admit I've never seen a satellite train.
ReplyDelete