Source:
http://heavens-above.com/
Posted on 06/25/2010 7:45:53 AM PDT by ETL
The International Space Station (ISS) is about to put on a remarkable show. For the next few days, the behemoth spacecraft will be in almost-constant sunlight. This means it will shine brightly in the night sky every single time it passes overhead. Some observers can see it 3, 4, even 5 times a night!
There are three easy ways to prepare for this "ISS marathon." First, you can check our online Simple Satellite Tracker for viewing times. Second, if you have an iPhone, download the Simple Flybys app and your iPhone will guide you to the space station. Third, and finally, our flybys app is now available for Android phones, too!
Check the website heavens-above.com for visible pass information for your neck of the woods. See "Satellites" => "ISS". You'll have to first register and provide your general location so that you can receive the proper pass schedule for your area.
The ISS appears as a bright white light (no blinking or colored lights). It moves across the sky at the apparent rate of a high-flying airplane. Passes range from about 1 minute to about 5 minutes in duration.
Note: The linked SpaceWeather.com visible pass info (See "Simple Satellite Tracker") is a lot easier to use but only provides pass info for very high (easy to see) ISS passes. -ETL
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Check out this amazing home video taken last night by FReeper “messierhunter”. Keep in mind that the ISS basically looks like a very bright star to the unaided eye. Note that the gray patch you will see immediately is not an artifact of the optics, but actually portions of the ISS!
“It was a great pass last night. Went almost right over my apartment. I tracked it with my telescope and some third party software, here’s the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB2-4ubEH3A
It starts off small and indistinguishable but you can see how quickly it grows in size as it approaches. I was able to follow it until the telescope’s mount began an automatic cord untangle maneuver at the peak of the pass (82 degrees high).”—FReeper messierhunter
Source:
http://heavens-above.com/
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With it being around the Northern Hemisphere summer solstice and the 57 degree orbit inclination of the ISS, this is prime-time for viewing!
I’m up on the North Coast in Ohio. Every time I try to watch a meteor shower, space station, or alien spacecraft, it clouds up!
Many times, I’ll have the heavens-above site on in my classroom to demonstrate the ISS’s speed. The kids enjoy it.
If you're referring to spaceweather.com, they only provide you pass info for the high, easy to see passes, while heavens-above.com gives you info for lower ones as well, only it's a bit more involved to access the info. With spaceweather.com's "Simple Satellite Tracker", all you need do is provide your zip code. With HA, you have to enter your general viewing location. There are several not-too-difficult ways of doing it. See the HA link for details.
—bflr—
Heavens Above is what I was referring to ... use it all the time.
It's a "cosmic conspiracy" I tell ya!
:)
alien spacecraft? lol!
Thanks! That’s a great link. I will add it on future threads.
cool
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Just saw it a little while ago! My mom did too, she called me all excited — thanks for the info!
Too much cloud cover tonight to see anything. Plus it didn’t help that Heavens-Above told me to look NE while Simple Satellite Tracker told me SW.
Simple Satellite Tracker only gives data on high-in-the-sky, (easy to see) views. In other words, while heavens-above tells you which direction the satellite is emerging from, SST only tells you where it is once it’s high enough to easily see. They do this because there are often buildings or trees along many observer’s horizons.
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