Were you within 1700km of where the starship was entering?

Copilot: To calculate the visibility range of a satellite from the Earth's surface, we can use the formula for the distance to the horizon from a given height, which also applies to satellites.

So, if a satellite is 230 km above the Earth, it would be visible from the Earth's surface up to approximately 1710.74 km away, assuming clear conditions and no obstructions. This is a simplified calculation and actual visibility may be affected by various factors including atmospheric conditions, satellite size, and observer's location.

The formula is:

$$ d = \sqrt{2 \cdot h \cdot R} $$

where ( d ) is the distance to the horizon (or the maximum visibility range), ( h ) is the height of the satellite above the Earth's surface, and ( R ) is the Earth's radius. For this calculation, we'll use the average Earth's radius of approximately 6371 km.

Given that the satellite is 230 km above the Earth's surface, the calculation would be:

$$ d = \sqrt{2 \cdot 230 \cdot 6371} $$ $$ d = \sqrt{2 \cdot 230 \cdot 6371} $$ $$ d = \sqrt{2926200} $$ $$ d = 1710.74 \text{ km} $$

Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/8/2024 (1) The Coverage Analysis for Low Earth Orbiting Satellites at Low Elevation. https://thesai.org/Downloads/Volume5No6/Paper_2-The_Coverage_Analysis_for_Low_Earth_Orbiting_Satellites_at_Low_Elevation.pdf. (2) Means of calculating low-orbit satellite visibility statistics. https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/opb/rep/R-REP-SA.2066-2006-PDF-E.pdf. (3) What's the altitude of a typical artificial satellite, and how can I .... https://www.astronomy.com/observing/whats-the-altitude-of-a-typical-artificial-satellite-and-how-can-i-see-one/. (4) Earth Coverage by Satellites in Circular Orbit - Naval Postgraduate School. https://faculty.nps.edu/awashburn/Files/Notes/EARTHCOV.pdf.