This is known in optics as the "bright field" issue. When you watch a satellite cross the moon, you are looking for a tiny darkening in a huge bright object. This is hard to see. It is like trying to spot gnats by going to a meadow and staring at the sun. (This approach can work, but you need a computer to read a sensitive camera. The Kepler space telescope does this to discover exoplanets.)
Instead use a "dark field" approach. Look for satellites on a pitch-black background. It is much easier to detect light against a background of near total darkness. If you have young, sharp eyes and a dark sky away from a city, you can look up on a moonless night and simply watch the satellites pass by. I did it during a power failure twenty years ago. If you are older or have city lights, try using binoculars. If you have never tried it, you will be amazed what binoculars can show you in the night sky.
[–] littul_kitton 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
This is known in optics as the "bright field" issue. When you watch a satellite cross the moon, you are looking for a tiny darkening in a huge bright object. This is hard to see. It is like trying to spot gnats by going to a meadow and staring at the sun. (This approach can work, but you need a computer to read a sensitive camera. The Kepler space telescope does this to discover exoplanets.)
Instead use a "dark field" approach. Look for satellites on a pitch-black background. It is much easier to detect light against a background of near total darkness. If you have young, sharp eyes and a dark sky away from a city, you can look up on a moonless night and simply watch the satellites pass by. I did it during a power failure twenty years ago. If you are older or have city lights, try using binoculars. If you have never tried it, you will be amazed what binoculars can show you in the night sky.
[–] [deleted] ago