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Re: (meteorobs) Re: meteorobs-digest V1 #665
Larue.Miller@bull.com wrote:
>And how about comparing the number of the Iridium satellites visible
>during any given night to the number of airplanes? We can go out into the
>desert 100 miles from town and see several airplanes going various
>directions in any given half-hour stretch. The airplanes are quite a bit
>brighter than the Iridium flares. Do any of you have any trouble
>distinguishing between an airplane and a meteor? Don't these interfere
>with your photography? Have you seen any web sites that will plot for you
>every airplane brighter than 0 going over your head for the next week?
Airplanes are definitely a worse nuisance than satellites. (depending
where you observe). The early evening sky at our regular observing spot
just south of the Ottawa airport is full, FULL of airplanes in all
directions. We sometimes have to turn our heads the other way when
one is approaching; its lights are like a bright moon! We now rarely
use that site. We only go there if its close proximity convenience
is really a priority.
We now go deeper south at a new location (a 1 hour drive from the
city). We still get a good number of annoying aircraft in the evening,
enough that you must stay close to the camera lens and cover it if
the unwanted lights are coming too close. Thank goodness they have
higher altitudes and are not as bright. Later at night, air trafic
usually calms down.
Pierre Martin
Ottawa, Ontario, CAN
Graphic Designer (National Aviation Museum)
Visual meteor observer
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Ottawa Astro Observers Group
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