Man-made star which looks like a giant disco ball is visible over Britain this weekYahoo News UK
Rob Waugh •February 20, 2018
Peter Beck with the Humanity Star (Bild: Rocket Lab via AP Photo)Something very unusual indeed is appearing over Britain this week – lucky sky-watchers might catch a glimpse of a ‘man-made star’.
The Humanity Star will be visible just before dawn: a carbon-fibre sphere with 65 reflective panels which is designed to reflect the sun’s light to Earth.
Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck launched the ‘Humanity Star’ last month – and says his goal is to make people contemplate their place in the universe.
It orbits the Earth every 90 minutes and should be visible for nine months.
Head to the
Humanity Star website for instructions on how to see it from your location (it’s in the Map section).
A spokesman told Mail Online, ‘As the Humanity Star experiences drag from the atmosphere at the lowest point in its orbit, the satellite will slow down creating a slight alteration in the orbital path.
‘For this reason, any predicted pass times more than three days away will only be a general anticipated time, rather than exact viewing times.
‘The farther the anticipated pass time, the less accurate it will be, so check the tracker as the time gets closer for a more accurate calculation.
‘Once a pass is within 24 hours, the accuracy of the Humanity Star’s position will be refined to minutes.’
https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-made-star-looks-like-giant-disco-ball-visible-britain-week-135402015.html
