Satelite Tracking: Solving My Career Advancment Puzzle

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    Satelite Tracking
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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on predicting satellite visibility from a specific latitude and longitude on Earth, given a satellite altitude of 350 km and its inclination angle. The participant expresses confusion about accounting for Earth's rotation and other secondary effects. Key recommendations include utilizing resources from Amsat, an organization dedicated to amateur satellite spotting, which provides valuable articles and formulas. Understanding fundamental concepts such as inclination, declination, right ascension, and altitude-azimuth coordinates is crucial for developing an intuitive grasp of satellite tracking.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of satellite orbital mechanics, including altitude and inclination.
  • Familiarity with celestial coordinate systems: right ascension and declination.
  • Knowledge of Earth’s rotation and its impact on satellite visibility.
  • Basic skills in using tools like toy globes for visualizing satellite paths.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the principles of satellite tracking and visibility calculations.
  • Explore Amsat resources for articles and formulas related to satellite spotting.
  • Learn about celestial navigation techniques and their applications in satellite tracking.
  • Study the effects of Earth's wobble and rotation on satellite positioning.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for students in Space Systems Engineering, amateur satellite enthusiasts, and anyone interested in understanding the fundamentals of satellite tracking and visibility prediction.

jstrz13phys
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I am completely lost. I am taking a course in Space Systems Engineering for Career Advancment. I have been asked to predict (without a program/software) when I will be able to see a satelite from a given lat, long from earth. I know the altitude is 350KM and I also know the inclination angle. It is in a circular orbit so I know what the average speed is. What I don't know is where to go next. Everytime I start I get lost - how do I handle spinnig earth, the woble the Earth has from moon, etc. I am not looking for the solution to be given to me but hopefully some websites, books etc that I can read and learn to understand the procedure. Thanks
 
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Try Amsat.
 
Amsat is the amateur satelite spotters organistation http://www.amsat.org/ has a lot of useful articles and formulae.

Most of the secondary effects you mention have a very small contribution to the apparent position of the satelite - I wouldn't worry about them yet.
The important thing is to get a good intuitive picture of what inclination / declination / right ascension / alt-az mean. A small toy globe can really help!
 

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