Shadow imagery initial field testing

Estimating the silhouette of large space objects through decreased intensity measurements is an established technique in astronomy. This technique has been expanded to satellites near Earth in mathematical and computer models as well as scaled laboratory demonstrations. Synthetic Aperture Silhouette Imaging (SASI) applies these concepts using a North-South oriented linear array of hobby telescopes to detect decreased intensity from stars as satellites occult the stars. This paper discusses the challenges and successes of an initial field test using a single telescope equipped with a photon detector. The goal is to measure intensity drops from stars when satellites are predicted to pass between the star and the telescope in a ground station. This initial field test will inform the design of an individual telescope in a SASI array and validate the use of the selected hardware as an initial step towards the design of a full SASI array.