Spy satellites and cloud, darkness etc...

[TopCat]

Can spy satellites see through thick cloud? Can they also see much at night?

 

[Saul Goodman]

Can spy satellites see through thick cloud? Can they also see much at night?

They're not much good through cloud but they're good at night.
Are you having a paranoid one?

 

[muscovyduck]

Can spy satellites see through thick cloud? Can they also see much at night?

Why, what are you planning on doing?

 

[platinumsage]

Don’t worry, if it’s cloudy they use drones.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Can spy satellites see through thick cloud? Can they also see much at night?

This is why I do all my insurgency at 3am.

 

[TopCat]

I’m just curious. I can’t work out how they see through clouds.

 

[skyscraper101]

It was clouds and a malfunctioning satellite that nearly caused world war 3

1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[TopCat]

They're not much good through cloud but they're good at night.
Are you having a paranoid one?

No! Really I’m fine!

 

[Pickman's model]

Can spy satellites see through thick cloud? Can they also see much at night?

Yes

 

[Pickman's model]

https://www.theprint.in/science/wha...can-do-and-how-it-can-penetrate-clouds/238638

 

[TopCat]

Yes

How well?

 

[TopCat]

https://www.theprint.in/science/wha...can-do-and-how-it-can-penetrate-clouds/238638

So radar versions can see but optical ones suffer with fog and that.

 

[Pickman's model]

How well?

this from the mail

New satellite's camera can see through walls of buildings

Capella-2 satellite snaps 'crystal clear' images of Earth regardless of cloud covering or time of day. It is capable of 50cm x 50cm resolution imaging that is powerful enough to penetrate through walls.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Pickman's model]

But they don't watch everything all the time

 

[planetgeli]

However I am confident I am not being watched by spy satellites either at home or while out

Yeah but that's because they're watching TopCat

 

[TopCat]

Yeah but that's because they're watching TopCat

I had better have a bath and shave then.

 

[kebabking]

I had better have a bath and shave then.

Take a flannel into the bath to safe blushes in Maryland.

 

[Crispy]

Can spy satellites see through thick cloud?

Visible or IR wavelengths, no.

Can they also see much at night?

At night, artificially lit areas are visible, while infrared cameras can detect heat of vehicles, buildings, people etc. even in pitch blackness. The resolution is much lower than during the day however, due to the very low brightness compared to direct sunlight.

But radar can see through clouds, and Synthetic Aperture Radar can achieve resolution almost as good as optical telescopes.
It can detect the shape of things, but not their brightness/colour and it will miss anything that moves much during the sweep of the beam.

Paging 2hats for corrections + further info

 

[JuanTwoThree]

I had better have a bath and shave then.

For a long moment I thought that said 'them'

 

[nogojones]

I’m just curious. I can’t work out how they see through clouds.

This is why they also use pigeons

 

[Pickman's model]

This is why they also use pigeons

They are trained to mark their targets with radioactive bird shit

 

[TopCat]

For a long moment I thought that said 'them'

I need to work on my reputation.

 

[Supine]

This is why I do all my insurgency at 3am.

Buying drunk kebabs isn't insurgency

 

[2hats]

At night, artificially lit areas are visible, while infrared cameras can detect heat of vehicles, buildings, people etc. even in pitch blackness. The resolution is much lower than during the day however, due to the very low brightness compared to direct sunlight.

Also: longer wavelength => larger detector pixels.

But radar can see through clouds, and Synthetic Aperture Radar can achieve resolution almost as good as optical telescopes.
It can detect the shape of things, but not their brightness/colour and it will miss anything that moves much during the sweep of the beam.

Not just through clouds but sub-surface too. Hence archaeological uses (left: visible, right: SAR).

Features in the ocean, wakes of vessels.

Even possible to see how full various vessels, storage tanks are (examine these oil storage tanks in the fully zoomed version):

 

[HAL9000]

2 more radar images here...

Some impressive SAR radar images

Chiyoda City skyscrapers in Tokyo I don't know the location for this image I think this is what Capella satelilte looks like.. Video explaining what SAR is (I assume Scott Manley has no connection with Capella)

www.urban75.net