Didn't anyone see a ship in orbit?
- Thread starter KJbushway
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I know space is big but, when the ship is in orbit, you could very well see it, plus the pure amount of people looking into space with different types of telescopes, someone had to have caught a glimpse of it. Not every telescope is fixed on a far away object, usually beginners watch the moon first.
So one or two people might have seen "something" high up in the sky. So what? No government would acknowledge it as being anything, so most people would just assume it's fake. Problem solved.
I'm pretty sure they specifically said the various battles and atmospheric entries have been given cover stories, usually meteor showers and the like. Indeed, if I remember it right, that episode with the Richard Branson-type bloke tried to blow the lid off the cover did have a satellite spot the skirmish in Antarctica and the ship in orbit.
As for spotting one of the Daudalus class ships in orbit; for anyone that's never seen the ISS, take it from me, even with a middling telescope it's just a white blob moving at quite a rate of knots. The only reason you can see it at all is 1) you know in advance where it's going to be 2) it's in relatively low orbit so it's transit is much more noticeable against the backdrop of stars and 3) it's white. Even though the ships are of course much bigger than the ISS, they appear to park in much higher orbits (really, the ISS is only barely in space) and possibly in geosynchronous orbit which would make it very difficult to distinguish from a satellite, that's even IF one amateur randomly happened across it.
As for spotting one of the Daudalus class ships in orbit; for anyone that's never seen the ISS, take it from me, even with a middling telescope it's just a white blob moving at quite a rate of knots. The only reason you can see it at all is 1) you know in advance where it's going to be 2) it's in relatively low orbit so it's transit is much more noticeable against the backdrop of stars and 3) it's white. Even though the ships are of course much bigger than the ISS, they appear to park in much higher orbits (really, the ISS is only barely in space) and possibly in geosynchronous orbit which would make it very difficult to distinguish from a satellite, that's even IF one amateur randomly happened across it.
They evacuated the building and area so seeing a building disappear would've been tough from the ground. I'm guessing they similarly covered things up for any news choppers in the area.
Also, when we see various alien ships show up around Earth, they inexplicably appear on the daylight side of the planet. Who knows WHY this happens (aside from making it instantly known to the audience that THIS IS EARTH!!!), but it usually means that spacecraft are much tougher to see when the sun's in the sky. That, and people tend not to use telescopes until it's pitch black.
Mark
Also, when we see various alien ships show up around Earth, they inexplicably appear on the daylight side of the planet. Who knows WHY this happens (aside from making it instantly known to the audience that THIS IS EARTH!!!), but it usually means that spacecraft are much tougher to see when the sun's in the sky. That, and people tend not to use telescopes until it's pitch black.
Mark
In season 4 the military paid off a guy that observed an Asteroid directed by Anubis. He also got credit for the naming of the Asteroid
This has been a huge issue for me... People just don't realize how visible large objects are in low earth orbit. When conditions are right, ISS and the shuttle are clearly visible as fast moving bright stars in the sky.
A Daedalus class ship or the even bigger ones would be appear so large as to be visible even in daylight situations - You would be able to discern the shape of them as well with the naked eye!
And that doesn't even include what amateur astronomers could do!... Here are some shots taken by amateurs with relatively small tracking telescopes at orbiting objects:
ISS: http://www.universetoday.com/64014/see-the-space-stations-cupola-from-the-ground
The Shuttle: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/04/27/amazing-shuttle-picture/
It all boils down to the lack of research by the show creators, but most of all them being afraid of upsetting the status quo of the show with a public reveal.
A Daedalus class ship or the even bigger ones would be appear so large as to be visible even in daylight situations - You would be able to discern the shape of them as well with the naked eye!
And that doesn't even include what amateur astronomers could do!... Here are some shots taken by amateurs with relatively small tracking telescopes at orbiting objects:
ISS: http://www.universetoday.com/64014/see-the-space-stations-cupola-from-the-ground
The Shuttle: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/04/27/amazing-shuttle-picture/
It all boils down to the lack of research by the show creators, but most of all them being afraid of upsetting the status quo of the show with a public reveal.
High orbits make spotting things harder, yes, but mile-size ships in high orbit will still be noticed easily. (See SG1 season 10 finale, Earth surrounded by many Ori ships, plus all the other battles around Earth, yes the SGA finale as well)
Imagine the "missile off LA" story (fake but lots of news), multiply that by several factors, happening several times a year.
With the amount of space traffic near Earth (plus battles), it just strains credibility severely that this isn't blown wide open. You may be able to find excuses, but it is pretty ridiculous at this stage.
That did not happen in Unending. In fact, the only scene in Unending to take place on Earth was the final scene when they're all in the gate room preparing for their next mission.
I suspect what you meant to say was The Ark of Truth, but even then all we know is that Ori ships entered Earth's solar system. We have no indication arrived in Earth orbit. Indeed, it seems likely they'd want to stay out of range of Antarctica's defenses, given that they can actually damage Ori ships.
Thing is, this is actually covered quite a bit on the show. Apophis's ships in the S1 finale/S2 premiere were noticed, especially when they blew up, but a cover story was provided. The Asgard said they take measures to make sure no one on Earth can notice their ships in orbit. For all we know, these very same measures are employed on the Earth starships. Anubis's fleet was primarily over Antarctica, which isn't a highly populated are of the planet. Some satellites did record the battle, but their owner was publicly discredited.
Quick question: was there a season 9 or 10 episode where someone was flying an Al'kesh in Earth's atmosphere and the SGC/USAF had an F-16 shoot it down? Did it happen to pass by any populated areas or did it just stick to rural areas (IIRC it crashed in a field or something).
I remember there was scenes with Al'kesh and Gliders in "Continuum" on the alternate Earth, including a dogfight with F-16s. That could be what you're thinking of, but by that point, the moment for secrecy had passed since Ba'al was carrying out a full-scale invasion.
The Wormhole - Yes, I meant "Ark of Truth", not "Unending". Thanks for the correction.
Kai Winn - And trail-less aircraft can indeed be tricky to spot on occasion. But once something unknown is spotted, there's this handy thing called binoculars that a significant % of earths population own.
But this argument is leading nowhere. You have decided as SG fans that "it makes sense", so there is little point in pushing this further.
My final point is simply that I think it is just sad how it contributes to the declared "dumbification" of humanity by the SG writers. We're being told over and over how humanity could not handle the Stargate knowledge. And to boot all of Earth population in the show are too stupid to put 1 and 1 together with all the sightings, technology, and whatnot. It just gets tedious beyond belief, which is why I am pleased SGU spends as little time on Earth as they do. (and I wish they never had the stones)
Kai Winn - And trail-less aircraft can indeed be tricky to spot on occasion. But once something unknown is spotted, there's this handy thing called binoculars that a significant % of earths population own.
But this argument is leading nowhere. You have decided as SG fans that "it makes sense", so there is little point in pushing this further.My final point is simply that I think it is just sad how it contributes to the declared "dumbification" of humanity by the SG writers. We're being told over and over how humanity could not handle the Stargate knowledge. And to boot all of Earth population in the show are too stupid to put 1 and 1 together with all the sightings, technology, and whatnot. It just gets tedious beyond belief, which is why I am pleased SGU spends as little time on Earth as they do. (and I wish they never had the stones)
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That's not it. I looked at Wikipedia and it was S10E05 insiders.
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