Question about Satellites...?

Question

I think I saw a satellite in the sky last night. That made me wonder. Why do we see light when a satellite passes? I know they have solar panels on them but why do we see a light? I'm sure there's not a light bulb on it. Is it the refection of the sun or something?

Answer 1

Yes, they reflect sun light very well, as this helps them staying cool in space. Even the solar arrays reflect a good deal of sunlight.



But they are not exactly bright, satellites are usually among the fainter objects. The International space station on the other hand is already the second brightest object in the night sky, directly behind the moon. It is easily visible during the night, unless clouds disturb you.

Answer 2

Yes its the reflection of the sun off parts- generally off the solar arrays which collect solar energy for power. The International Space Station was visible from my flat earlier and we could see where the solar panels were through binoculars.

It's for a similar reason that the moon seems to glow- it reflects the light from the sun.

Answer 3

Satellites are up very high - until they actually pass through the shadow of the Earth, they'll reflect sunlight. The space station is a very bright object - very cool to see with a decent telescope, you can even see it's structure.

Answer 4

Yes, that is a good question. The light we see IS reflected off the Sun. Satellites are tiny compared to what we usually see up in the night sky. And the reason why we can see them is because they are so close to us. :)

Answer 5

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Answer 6

look at pictures of satellites. what do you see? shiny metal. things painted white. they reflect a great deal of light from the sun, and if you are in the right place, you will see the results.

Answer 7

mental