Observation of Light Curves of Space Objects

Geostationary orbit and low earth orbit have many artificial satellites, and the accidents of these satellites affect every area such as weather forecasts and communications. In the optical observation, the periodical change of the brightness which is caused by the type and the shape of the satellite is seen. In the case of LEO debris, since the movement is fast, it crosses the field of view in several seconds. We used an observation method to get the data of LEO debris. In case of the GEO debris, the rate of motion is slow in comparison with LEO debris. Fixed stars are observed by the same position on the image when the telescope is operated in sidereal tracking mode. Then, space objects are recorded on the image with streaks of light. In this paper, the observation and the detection method of light curve of geostationary orbit debris are discussed. Observing the changes of the operative satellites with some time intervals may help to detect the abnormalities and accidents of them.