Andy’s Astronomy: SpaceX Broadens Starlink

Some of those seeking broadband internet service via satellite will be happy.

Last Friday, SpaceX sent another batch of 29 broadband satellites into low Earth orbit. The launch took place from Florida’s Space Coast and has become almost mundane.

The spacecraft was taken into space by a Falcon 9 rocket, a workhorse of the SpaceX program. About 8-1/2 minutes after launch, the rocket’s first stage landed in the Atlantic. Referred to as B1078, this was the booster’s 30th liftoff and recovery.

About 60 minutes after liftoff, the new satellites were deployed into orbit.

These latest 29 satellites join about 11,000 Starlink satellites already in orbit and providing high-speed, broadband internet service.

Meanwhile, Amazon continues working toward its own satellite-based internet service, referred to as Project Leo, which currently has about 400 satellites in low-Earth orbit. Amazon is still reporting the system will be available to commercial businesses and beta testing either late 2026 or early 2027.

Another notable event occurring last week was the anniversary of the Voyager 2’s launch in 1977.

Though named Voyager 2, it was actually the first Voyager spacecraft to launch on a mission to explore the outer planets. That mission has long been completed and Voyager 2 is headed into deep space. It is currently about 12.3 billion miles from Earth.

Technology in the 1970s is considered crude by today’s standards, yet Voyager 2 continues to communicate with astronomers and scientists on Earth and is expected to continue communicating through the end of 2027. At that point the probe will be 50 years old.

Meteors can flash across the sky anytime, day or night, and they are spotted quite often. Particularly bright meteors are often referred to as fireballs.

On Aug. 21, a fireball was reported by 58 people across Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

The fireball was first reported at 12:23 am by a skywatcher in LaVergne, TN. It was seen as far north as Lynchburg, OH, as far east as Concord, NC, as far south as Forsyth, GA, and as far west as Waverly, TN. Elsewhere in Georgia the fireball was also spotted by skywatchers in Griffin, near Rome, Sandy Springs, and Talking Rock. It appeared to travel from west to east.

Four skywatchers reported hearing noise associated with the fireball and six reported seeing it fragment into pieces. It was captured in two videos and one photos. Fireballs are frequently being captured on home and business security cameras. If you have such a system, be sure to check it for fireballs.

Anyone seeing a fireball is urged to report the sighting to https://amsmeteors.org

Going outside and looking at the night sky can be fun and educational for the entire family. There are a number of free apps available to help identify stars and constellations, and some of the apps will show satellites.

Happy skywatching!