View the full satellite selfie final image!!
Scroll through the map and discover the amazing creations across the ACT and surrounds.
Find a giant love heart, a kangaroo with a joey, a poppy for remembrance and much much more.
A big thank you to all who took part!
Have you ever taken a selfie? What if you could take one from space?
Wonder no more because during National Science Week this August everyone in the ACT will find out!
Introducing Canberra’s very own Satellite Selfie!
Satellites come in all shapes and sizes. Some look deep into space to study distant stars and galaxies, but many look down at Earth to monitor the climate, oceans, or help with communications. Generally satellites are pretty sneaky though, and they rarely give us the opportunity to say cheese before snapping a picture.
That got us thinking — what if we knew when the satellite was zooming overhead? Better yet, what if we told four hundred thousand of our closest friends too?
ACT National Science Week has partnered with the satellite company Maxar to make sure all of Canberra and surrounding regions have the chance to pose for a city-sized selfie…taken from space!
This event is presented by the Where You Are Festival with the support of the ACT Government and is co-hosted by The Australian National University.
The satellite will be flying over Canberra and the surrounding area, including Queanbeyan, Googong, Tharwa, Yass, Murrumbateman, Sutton, Royalla and Bungendore. See the full flyover area here.
As it flies over it will snap a picture of what is happening then and there in Canberra. The satellite has a resolution of 50 cm. That means that every 50 cm = 1 pixel. So it will see Canberra but not all of the detail and your privacy will be safe. If you want to know how to make sure you are seen at that resolution read our tips below in 'How to Get Involved' below.
As any good photographer will know, having multiple opportunities to take a photo is key, even more so when your camera is literally in outer space. Our satellite will be 770 km above Earth (more than twice the distance from Canberra to Sydney!) and travelling at an astonishing 26,850 kilometres per hour! This means if the satellite zooms past and takes a picture, but there’s a cloud in the way, it needs to go all the way around Earth before it can take another!
The satellite will fly over three times during National Science Week week on Monday August 17, Wednesday August 19 and Friday August 21. It will pass over for only a few minutes between 10am and 11am. This means you don't have to be out for long but get out early to make sure you don't miss it. The exact time will be released a few days before so keep an eye on the website and social media for updates.
The easiest thing to do is just be yourself and be outside at the right time!
For a little more info, especially on how to best be seen, check out the useful tips below, download our quick How To Guide or for all the details see our full How To Guide.
1. Big is best, so try taking up more space by lying down.
2. Craft a sign, spell something out, or make a fun shape. This can be anything you want (noting that any inappropriate material will be blurred out), and made out of anything you have — cardboard, aluminium foil, old sheets or even your friends. Just make sure to display it somewhere nice and open, and not blocked by trees or buildings. And make sure that your creation has good contrast with the background, so no green signs on the oval.
Check out our handy guide for just how big things need to be to be seen from space.
3. Get your school, office or community group together to create something even bigger as a group.
School giveaway: We’d love to know if your school plans on participating in Satellite Selfie, let us know by registering here. This also includes registration to receive a free satellite communication kit (max one per school).
4. The school's theme for National Science Week this year is Deep Blue: innovations for the future of our oceans, so why not have a crack at making your favourite sea creature (or even the Canberra Sky Whale!) — the sky (or, maybe more appropriately, the ground) is the limit!
5. Leave your handiwork out for the whole week, so even if you can’t get outside at the right time, at least your creativity can still be on display.
6. Snap your own selfie, use the hashtag #SatelliteSelfie, and tag ACT National Science Week on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
7. Send a photo of your creation to actscienceweek@gmail.com — we’ll share an album of the best designs from across Canberra.
8. Use your common sense and stay safe.
9. Make sure to maintain 1.5 m social distancing and don't gather in groups of more than 100 people — after all, we do have an entire city’s worth of space!
Primary School Activities
Age: Primary School
Satellites orbit the Earth, and help us communicate with people far away - but how does this work? Learn how with this activity sheet!
Age: Primary School
You’ve probably heard of GPS, and how it helps us find our way around unfamiliar places. How does it work though, and just how many GPS satellites are there? This activity, in conjunction with the GNSS View app, will answer these questions and more!
Age: Primary School
Satellites do all kinds of science, but just how many kinds can you think of? This worksheet aims to help brainstorm this very topic!
Age: Primary School
Not only do we need to do our best to keep the environment clean here on Earth, but we also need to keep space clean - otherwise our new satellites could get damaged by fast moving junk from old satellites. How do scientists do this though? This activity lets you work through the same problem, just like a scientist would!
High School Activities
See How GPS Satellites Can Find Your Location
Age: High School
If you’ve ever navigated using GPS on a phone, you’ll notice it does a really good job of figuring out where you are. This is accomplished through a whole team of satellites working together, and with this activity you can work with a partner to figure out just how this works!
See How Satellites Parts Pack into Small Spaces
Age: High School
Everything we send into space has to be able to fit into a rocket. Rockets however are only so large, which means scientists and engineers often need to get creative fitting things in! This exercise covers one way they do this, and involves folding up things like origami.
See How Satellites Discover Worlds
Age: High School
Astronomers now know of over 4,000 planets orbiting stars other than the Sun. Many of these were actually found using satellites, or more specifically space telescopes, by how a star’s gravity affects its planet! This activity shows you how to develop a simple demonstration of how gravity works, all from your own home!
See How Satellites Stay in Orbit
Age: High School
How does gravity work, and why don’t satellites fall down? Check out this activity for a demonstration of how the force of gravity is involved in our satellites orbiting the Earth.
Other activities
Age: 10-13
Satellites are used for all sorts of things in the modern world, from communications and GPS, to monitoring the weather, to even doing astronomy! Putting things into space is pretty expensive though, and anything going to space needs to fit into a rocket. This means that not only must satellites not be too heavy or big, but they also need to not break during launch from all the shaking! If that wasn’t enough, space has no air, and can either be really hot if you’re in the sun, or cold if you’re in Earth’s shadow — so a satellite must be able to survive that too!
This activity will have students working in a group to design and test a satellite, which is similar to the design process engineers use when actually building them.
For younger students who just want to build something, or for ideas on how to make everyday items look like satellite components, check out these two additional resources:
- https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/build-a-spacecraft/en/
- https://www.ehow.com/how_5006567_make-model-satellite.html
Papercrafting Some NASA Spacecraft and Satellites
Age: all ages
Want to get a 3D look at some of the spacecraft NASA uses to study the universe? Why not make them out of paper!
Papercrafting NovaSAR-1, a Satellite Used by CSIRO that can see through clouds!
Age: all ages
NovaSAR-1 is a cutting-edge satellite that uses radar to study and take pictures of the Earth (even through clouds), which makes it a very useful tool during natural disasters. The satellite is shared between many groups, but CSIRO gets to use it 10% of the time. However, you can make your own and use it all of the time!
Age: 8+
What kinds of satellites are orbiting the Earth right now? Where are they? How fast are they moving? How big are they?
Answer all these questions and more with NASA’s Eyes on the Earth app which visualises all this and more in real time (note requires downloading and running an executable, suitable for PC and macOS)!
Age: 15+
This worksheet goes over how a satellite stays up without falling back down to Earth, and goes over the maths and physics of how this works.
Geoscience Australia Satellite Activities
Geoscience Australia spends a lot of time working with maps and other data from satellites, so they put together some activities for National Science Week that help to explain what they do best!
CSIRO Colouring Sheets for The Dish (AKA The Parkes Radio Telescope)
Age: all ages
The Parkes Radio Telescope is easily Australia’s most famous telescope thanks to it featuring in the iconic 2000 movie, The Dish. It’s done everything from peering at distant galaxies, investigating mysterious fast radio bursts, and even helping NASA communicate with astronauts during the moon landing. It’s just been added to the Australian National Heritage list too, so what better time to bring out your creative side and relax with some Dish themed colouring sheets!
Satellites are used for a surprising amount of things in the modern world. By being in space, they can travel around the entire Earth in only a couple of hours — much faster than any car or plane. This bird’s eye view, plus special cameras or other instruments, lets them observe all sorts of things like the weather, forests, oceans, and cities. They can help out with farming, as well as assist in planning and recovery during natural disasters such as bushfires or cyclones. Some are used for telecommunications or television, while others are what allows GPS to work, and a few special ones don’t look at Earth at all and are used for astronomy.
These satellites come in all shapes and sizes, with many being no larger than a loaf of bread. For Satellite Selfie, though, we went big and will be using a car-sized satellite similar to the one below. All the better to see your creativity on display in August!
Once the three photos are taken the best image will be processed and uploaded to this website, where you can take a look around Canberra and see how everyone else expressed themselves! Keep an eye on our social media (Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.) for the release.
A satellite resolution of 50 cm means that anything smaller than that, including faces, will be entirely blurred out.
The images taken will be processed before release and all inappropriate content will be removed, so keep this in mind when planning your sign to make sure you appear in the final image.
Q: Is my sign big enough to be seen?
A: To be seen from space, the images need to be BIG and laid flat on the ground. Each pixel needs to be 50 cm x 50 cm, so the letter 'A' for example should ideally be no smaller than 2.5 metres (5 pixels) wide and 3.5 metres (7 pixels) tall to be seen clearly in the satellite image. The bigger your sign is, the better. Check out our handy guide for more information (including helpful diagrams!) on pixel resolution and what can be seen from space.
Q: Who can be involved?
A: Anyone and everyone, the more the merrier. You just need to either be outside during the three flyovers, or leave your sign outside to be imaged by the satellite. See 'How to Get Involved' above.
Q: What if I’m not available or don’t want to go outside for all three flyovers?
A: No problem! Try making a sign and leaving it outside ahead of time. That way, even if you’re not personally in the photo, your creation will be. If you or your creation are not outside for all three flyovers we can't guarantee you'll end up in the final image as we’ll only be picking the best one (e.g. the one with the least amount of cloud).
Q: I don’t think I’ll be able to get outside or have the time to prepare something. Is there any way I can still be involved?
A: If you can't make it at all, we have lots of fun activities you can do at home. See 'Satellite Activities' above.
Q: Can I leave my sign outside?
A: Absolutely! Just make sure to be safe and respectful when doing so, and make sure it’s weatherproof and won't blow away.
Q: My house isn’t included in your map. Can I still be involved?
A: Sure! We’re sorry we missed you, but perhaps try teaming up with a friend or family member whose house will be in the shot so that you don’t miss out? Otherwise, we also have lots of fun related activities you can do at home. See 'Satellite Activities' above.
Q: How far away from trees/buildings etc do I have to be to be seen?
A: The further away the better, try getting out onto an oval or in the middle of your yard. Read our handy guide for tips on being seen!
Q: I'm getting a group of friends together to make a sign, does social distancing still apply?
A: All state-based COVID-19 health restrictions will still apply for the duration of the Satellite Selfie event. In Canberra, we advise wearing a mask and maintaining a distance of 1.5 m between participants.
Q: What should I make my sign out of?
A: Anything you have really, though do try to recycle whatever you use afterwards! Read our handy guide for more specific tips on materials to use, but whatever it is, make sure it’s weatherproof and contrasts with the background (e.g. a dark sign on a light background).
Q: What happens if my sign is smaller than you recommend?
A: If you’re holding it, we should still be able to see you holding something, but it might just look blurry. If it’s out on its own, it might be hard to see. In any case, try working as a group and pooling resources to make something larger, and make sure to wear bright clothing. Otherwise, try lying down with the sign to take up more space.
Q: When will the image be released?
A: The image will be released online in early September. Keep an eye on this website and our Facebook page.
Q: How did you choose the areas that would be included?
A: Whilst we would have loved to include everyone, it was a balance between including as much of Canberra and surrounding areas as possible (focusing on the areas where more people live), while still able to be seen by the satellite all at once, and being affordable.
If you have any other questions, send us an email.
This Inspiring Australia initiative is supported by the Australian Government as part of National Science Week.
This event is presented by the Where You Are Festival with the support of the ACT Government and is co-hosted by Australian National University.
Sponsors:
Partners:Support by:
Please note that the following content will be blurred prior to release of the final image:
- Sexually explicit content
- Intellectual property violations
- Illegal, dangerous, or violent content
- Harassment and threats
- Hate speech, including, but not limited to, discrimination on the basis of race, ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, nationality, sexual orientation, or gender identity
- Personally identifiable information
To receive event updates sign up to our mailing list.
National Science Week in the ACT is jam-packed with a wide variety fun activities for all ages and interests — check out the full calendar of events online.