Watching Space with a Beer

I have managed to see one of those Starlink strings a couple times from my backyard (Photo by MARIANA SUAREZ/AFP via Getty Images)

This is one of my favorite activities with beer: Spotting satellites. 

There are so many freaking Satellites in the sky now (look at how my Elon has put up there), it’s usually not that hard.

Here is what I do:

• Find the darkest part of my backyard - a spot with maybe bushes blocking neighbors lights or the Moon.

• Have as many lights off as possible.

• Relax for a bit with a beer - your eyes need to adjust to the darkness and will start seeing more of space after this. Don’t even look at your phone.

• Have background music on - Not very loud but you can still hear it fine. I was playing The Outfield’s “Play Deep” on while doing this early this week - it’s a weird one to be playing I know. Last night I used Sonic Youth and it was excellent.

Eventually you will see a satellite. It looks like a star, but it’s moving. If it’s blinking, you just spotted a jet flying over. If it’s a solid light that never blinks, you got yourself a satellite - sometimes the lighting on it will change though due to how the sunlight is hitting it.

A really good time to see them is JUST when the Sun goes down. The Earth isn’t yet blocking the Sun from shinning on the satellites yet, so it’s a perfect time.

I live in the middle of Fresno and there is a lot of light pollution. So, it’s not great. But I do live in what we call a “county island” so we don’t have streetlights on our block, which helps for the light pollution. But it still mostly sucks.

This week I had a Pliny and then a Black Butte Porter from Deschutes Brewing and went out to spot. I didn’t see a satellite, but I saw a shooting star, so not a total loss.

That’s what I wanted to share with you this week. I appreciate the read and I hope you have a great week of looking up.

-Mikey

Peace ✌️ Beer 🍻 & Metal 🤘