Small-aperture optical photometry of Canadian geostationary satellites

This paper describes a practical approach to obtaining photometric data during typical space surveillance observations and shows the use of these data to differentiate satellites in geostationary clusters. Several nights worth of unfiltered observations of Canadian geostationary satellites are processed with an emphasis on photometry. The photometric reduction and calibration technique is described, and characterization based on object-centric phase angle is shown. Satellites residing in known clusters (Anik F1, Anik F1-R, Nimiq-1, and Nimiq-2) are characterized relative to their peers.