ISS Sightings

TF and I just came back in from watching the ISS/Shuttle stack go over. Brief sighting, about 1 minute from appearance out of the haze to entry into the Earth's shadow, but man, it was bright.

Another opportunity tomorrow night here in KC about 10:30ish. It will pass from West to East about two fingers' width below the North star. In observer-centric terms, it will pass just above the top of the "W" formed by the constellation Casseopaeia.

For our Philly friends, check this out for tomorrow night's sighting opportunity:

http://www.heavens-above.com/PassDetails.asp?lat=39.952&lng=-75.164&loc=Philadelphia&alt=8&tz=EST&satid=25544&date=40017.0596243866

To find sightings configured for your location, go to http://www.heavens-above.com

You'll need a clear Northern horizon, but it will be the brightest thing in the sky outside of Jupiter for almost four minutes.

I think it's going to be cloudy here. :(

It was really hazy here tonight, but limiting magnitude was about 2, so the ISS, at -1.5, really stood out. It was rather orangish-red in color, and totally unmistakable as anything else. Especially since we knew exactly where to look and when.

There are a bunch of sighting opportunities for North America over the next several days, as these things tend to cluster. Go to Heavens Above and enter the pertinent data. You'll find a sighting opportunity this week, no problem.

ISS is visible after dusk or just before dawn when the light still exists 200 miles up but darkness is still below. The number of hours this happens is longer in the summer meaning sometimes the ISS can be viewed twice a night.

Viewings are either only at night, only at dawn, or in a period of maybe two weeks with no sighting opportunities.

ISS is about as bright as a lighted airplane. It takes about 3 minutes to cross the sky. It can be viewed anywhere below on the earth in a circle with radius of maybe less than 300 miles.

Your opportunities are provided at:
www.heavens-above.com or NASA's human space flight server.

The ISS is now so large that some have reported seeing it in daylight with clearest skys.

Here's another good reference for Philadelphians

Great flyover tonight! Anyone else catch it? It went directly overhead at 89 degrees elevation, magnitude -3.5 in a clear, moonless sky here. Stupifyingly bright. How cool to watch it and know that there are 13 people zooming by up there.

Rain. :(

I'm hoping that baby is up there a long time so eventually I'll get the scope on it.

Yeah, but it's not doing real science. :lol2:

xoxoxoBruce;583645 wrote:

Yeah, but it's not doing real science. :lol2:

The just delivered section is the science module. Now if they can only get that toilet to work.

And installing batteries that cost $3,600,000 each.