Skywatching and stargazing in Victoria

It's too bad that Musk insists on geofencing his Starlink system ... such that if you're even an eighth of a mile or so from your actual subscriber coordinates, you will get an error message rather than a data link.

Starlink could free up millions of people around the world to work from wherever they wanted to work from, or travel endlessly while working ... if it wasn't crippled by being geofenced.

Starlink is very much like cell phone coverage in the third world when it was initially sold worldwide on the basis of giving the less fortunate "modern communication options" ... but rather it turned people like Carlos Slim (with his cellphone empire) into the wealthiest man in Mexico (and the wealthiest man in the world for three or four years) ... Musk is all about making those third-world dollars ... the third world is seen by Musk only as a source of vast, untapped riches where cash is made on the sheer scale of human population, rather than on criminally high subscription costs (as we have in Canada).

Edited by Spy Black, 21 May 2021 - 07:45 PM.

I think that's what a lot of potential users are hoping for Mike. 

I would anticipate that, if there is an option for the geofencing to eventually be removed, there will be a specific fee associated with that option.

But the wider publics desire when it comes to satellite internet of any kind definitely leans heavily towards the "internet anywhere" model.

i think they realize that.  there is likely a very good reason why they are limited right now.

APRIL 16:

CEO Elon Musk says that SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service will “probably [be] out of beta this summer” as the company continues to rapidly improve “service uptime, bandwidth, and latency.”

On top of Musk’s belief that Starlink will be ready for primetime as few as 3-5 months from now, the SpaceX executive also believes that the company will have enough satellites operational to enable customers to take their Starlink dishes just about anywhere the service is allowed and even install and operate them on mobile vehicles.

https://www.teslarat...-exit-timeline/

According to Musk, those “cell” restrictions will be greatly relaxed “later this year,” meaning that users that purchase Starlink dishes and pay for service should be able to take their dishes anywhere Starlink is allowed and even use them on moving vehicles like “an RV or truck.” To get to that point, though, SpaceX will have to ensure that Starlink coverage is virtually uninterrupted and implement several “key software upgrades” – no surprise for a satellite communication service attempting to do something no other has.

this April article where they interviewed 50 real users in Canada and the US is pretty comprehensive.

https://www.cnbc.com...eed-price.html 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 22 May 2021 - 05:23 AM.

• Victoria: The partial phase begins at 2:44 a.m.; totality begins at 4:11 a.m. and ends at 4:25 a.m. The moon sets at 5:26 a.m.
•  

When and how to see the the lunar eclipse (and yes, the 'super moon')

Total lunar eclipse will mainly be visible in the Pacific region, though some parts of Canada might get a view

On Wednesday, the moon will glide through Earth's shadow, giving us the only total lunar eclipse of the year and the first one since January 2019.

The only problem is that totality isn't visible across the entire country, and you'll have to be up very early in the morning to catch it with a good view of the western horizon as the eclipse begins as the moon is setting.

This eclipse is dubbed the "super flower blood moon" eclipse by some, and here's why.

First, it's a "super moon," a term that has gained popularity over the past decade. A "super moon" refers to a full moon that is closest to Earth in its monthly orbit. (It's not a term used by astronomers, though many have opted to use it in outreach.) To the naked eye, it will be difficult to see the size difference between an average full moon and this one. 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...e-may-1.6034691

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 25 May 2021 - 03:53 AM.

 

• Victoria: The partial phase begins at 2:44 a.m.; totality begins at 4:11 a.m. and ends at 4:25 a.m. The moon sets at 5:26 a.m

They should really have these things when more people can see them.  Imagine waiting up all night to discover it's cloudy. 

Well here’s hoping. The weather experts fall for all day rain in Victoria today and it’s as sunny as it ever gets.

If you don't like the forecast, just use a different app.

They should really have these things when more people can see them.  Imagine waiting up all night to discover it's cloudy. 

Ha...left Kelowna this morning at 0400 - beautiful view of the eclipse all the way to Vancouver...  'Course, the iPhone camera doesn't really do it justice...

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 26 May 2021 - 12:22 PM.

Canada wants to send a probe to the moon within five years.

Could we just send Trudeau instead?

another success.

SpaceX has launched a fresh load of supplies to the International Space Station, including thousands of tiny sea creatures and powerful solar panels.

The Falcon rocket blasted off Thursday from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. The booster was new for a change and landed on an offshore platform several minutes after liftoff.

SpaceX plans to recycle it for a NASA astronaut flight this fall. The Dragon capsule -- also brand new -- should reach the space station Saturday.

https://www.ctvnews....ation-1.5455211

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 June 2021 - 03:58 PM.

Two billionaires are putting everything on the line this month to ride their own rockets into space.

It’s intended to be a flashy confidence boost for customers seeking their own short joyrides.

The lucrative, high-stakes chase for space tourists will unfold on the fringes of space – 55 miles to 66 miles (88 kilometers to 106 kilometers) up, pitting Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson against the world’s richest man, Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos.

Branson is due to take off Sunday from New Mexico, launching with two pilots and three other employees aboard a rocket plane carried aloft by a double-fuselage aircraft.

https://www.usatoday...ace/7903855002/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 09 July 2021 - 05:29 AM.

Swashbuckling entrepreneur Richard Branson hurtled into space aboard his own winged rocket ship on Sunday, beating out fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos.

The nearly 71-year-old Branson and five crewmates from his Virgin Galactic space-tourism company reached an altitude of about 88 kilometres over the New Mexico desert — enough to experience three to four minutes of weightlessness and see the curvature of the Earth — and then safely glided to a runway landing.

"The whole thing, it was just magical," a jubilant Branson said after the trip home aboard the gleaming white space plane, named Unity.

The brief, up-and-down flight — the rocket ship's portion took only about 15 minutes, or about as long as Alan Shepard's first U.S. spaceflight in 1961 — was a splashy and unabashedly commercial plug for Virgin Galactic, which plans to start taking paying customers on joyrides next year.

https://www.cbc.ca/n...aunch-1.6098393

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 11 July 2021 - 11:51 AM.

i like the equity:

As a tribute to the 50th anniversary of its fake moon landing, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has announced a reboot of the staged event that fooled billions worldwide, only this time featuring an all-female crew.

https://babylonbee.c...d-moon-landings

The world’s richest man’s 10-minute flight took him and three others over 100km above the Earth’s surface in a crucial milestone for the 21-year old space company.

https://www.forbes.c...sh=4a69ab704bd2

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 20 July 2021 - 05:32 AM.

What's the deal with the guy who bid $28M for a seat on the flight and then had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict? You have to wonder what sort of conflict that would have to be!