Wow, why is a Russian satellite signal stronger than all the GPS satellites in New Zealand?
Something bright in the radio sky First noticed yesterday (24 Feb 2019) that a very bright object has appeared in the radio-sky at civilian GPS frequency (1.575 GHz).. This object is stationary, and it's sky-coordinates corresponds to the Russian LUCH 5A geostationary satellite. It hasn't moved in more than 24 hours. This object is so bright that all other GPS, Galileo and even the Japanese QZS satellites are drowned out. The image below is a snapshot all-sky image taken with the TART radio-telescope located in New Zealand. Transient Array Radio Telescope all-sky image taken from near Dunedin New Zealand. Image Date: 2019-02-25 10:57am NZDT. The image is looking straight up, with the largest circle being the horizon. Due south from New Zealand is down. What is it the Luch 5A? The position corresponds to a Russian geostationary relay satellite, the LUCH 5A. My estimate is that the signal strength is 300 times stronger than a GPS satellite signal. This satellite