Can We See Satellites From Earth
By default satellites are only shown if they reach a maximum brightness of 4th magnitude.
Can we see satellites from earth. It is the third brightest object in the sky and easy to spot if you know when to look up. Zoom earth shows live weather satellite images updated in near real time and the best high resolution aerial views of the earth in a fast zoomable map. This filters out the large number of very faint satellites which fly over. Visible to the naked eye it looks like a fast moving plane only much higher and traveling thousands of miles an hour faster.
Satellites differ greatly in the level of detail they can see. To show daytime passes tick the box include daytime passes. Because the iss circles the earth about every 90 minutes on average this means that it s possible to see it not just on one singular pass but for several consecutive passes. Viewing is best away from city lights and in cloud free skies.
If you know when and where to look you can see the iss with the naked eye from earth asked by paul francis surprisingly there are a large portion of manmade satellites that can be seen with the naked eye. Yes we can see satellites in particular orbits as they pass overhead at night. However there are occasions when you can see a satellite in an earth picture but it would be too small yes magnifying glasses small and practically indistinguishable from the stars in the backdrop. Previously known as flash earth.
Sightings can number up to a hundred in a single night if you have good viewing conditions. Noaa satellites have the capability to provide astounding views of the earth. Watch the international space station pass overhead from several thousand worldwide locations. But many people want to know if these satellites can see their house or even through their roofs and walls to the people inside.
Passes are also only shown if they occur during the hours of darkness.