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Author
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Topic: Station-spotting: ISS and spacecraft sightings
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GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2475
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 03-04-2010 06:14 PM
   
We moved last month to a new house. Looks like we picked the right place for us as we just saw the ISS fly over from the back porch and then two minutes later saw the Delta IV GOES launch from the front porch. (We are in Guyton, Georgia just about 25 miles north west of Savannah.) |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 03-04-2010 07:34 PM
So, did you play "Here it Goes Again" by OK Go when you saw the GOES rocket go flying by?  |
tegwilym
Member Posts: 2331
From: Sturgeon Bay, WI
Registered: Jan 2000
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posted 03-05-2010 03:17 PM
Saw it last night, but was only 20 degrees up, so didn't bother with the telescope. I'll try tonight at 7:30pm, 60 degrees tonight, I'll share photos if it works out well! |
blue_eyes
Member Posts: 165
From: North Carolina, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 03-05-2010 05:20 PM
We saw it last night too — AWESOME! Saw it right on cue, coming towards us from the southwest, this enormous bright jewel sailing along so smoothly and beautifully. What a masterpiece! I'm always blown away each time I see it. |
John McGauley
Member Posts: 151
From: Fort Wayne, Indiana USA
Registered: May 2001
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posted 03-05-2010 08:45 PM
Got a 60-second time exposure of ISS tonight during an 88-degree elevation overflight of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Amazing pass, probably the longest and brightest I've ever seen (been watching these since 2000 or 2001). |
MarylandSpace
Member Posts: 1336
From:
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 06-24-2010 09:36 PM
So I'm driving home tonight about 9:30 p.m. EST from the high school baseball banquet watching the sky. Looks like the ISS racing across the sky and then fading. As I pull into the driveway looks like another ISS sighting. What?Turns out the first sighting was a Titan 4B booster at about a 1.4 brightness and the second was the ISS with a -3.3 or so. The Heavens Above website is listing dozens of visible satellites tonight... I wonder if the bright Moon is aiding the viewing. |
gliderpilotuk
Member Posts: 3398
From: London, UK
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 06-29-2010 05:06 PM
For those in the UK the ISS is very bright this week. Just passed directly overhead (80+ deg elevation) London at -4.0 brightness. Never fails to impress. |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2475
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 11-25-2010 10:23 PM
Below is a photo of the ISS flyover on Thanksgiving morning here in Guyton, Georgia (25 miles NW of Savannah). The flyover was at 6:30 a.m. so it was just at the morning twilight. The picture was taken as a last minute thought and just with my small digital camera so the quality is not great but I wanted to share it anyway. The moon is in the lower left and the squiggly line (that's what you get when you hand hold this type of shot) in the top right is the ISS.  |
Lunar rock nut
Member Posts: 911
From: Oklahoma city, Oklahoma U.S.A.
Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 11-26-2010 06:40 AM
Had a pass over at 5:56 a.m. this morning. I stood on the front porch and the temperature was 23 deg F with crystal clear skies and a bright moon. It was worth it. We have another pass on Saturday morning the 27th at 6:22 a.m. |
issman1
Member Posts: 1042
From: UK
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 11-26-2010 09:27 AM
Great pictures. Can't match them but have tried unsuccessfully with my camera phone on a few occasions.  ISS is due to make evening passes over the UK during Christmas. So I'm hoping STS-133 does launch during that timeframe, just to get one last view of Discovery flying solo. |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2475
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 11-26-2010 10:43 AM
We missed this morning's fly by due to cloud cover and I was more prepared this time. Oh well, I will try again the next time the Moon and ISS align. |
MarylandSpace
Member Posts: 1336
From:
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 03-07-2011 07:03 PM
Beautiful, breathtaking sighting of the shuttle being chased by the ISS tonight for about 5 minutes at 6:58 pm Eastern time in the U.S. |
Tom
Member Posts: 1597
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 03-07-2011 07:03 PM
We got a similar view a few miles north of you on Long Island... that was pretty amazing! |
ejectr
Member Posts: 1751
From: Killingly, CT
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 03-07-2011 07:45 PM
Awesome 80 degree pass here in MA. Crystal clear night.March 9 there is a 90 degree pass over my lat/long. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3208
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 03-07-2011 07:51 PM
Conditions were perfect and the view was spectacular as Discovery and the ISS flew overhead at 6:55pm EST. |
BA002
Member Posts: 175
From: Utrecht,NL
Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 03-08-2011 12:35 AM
I watched Discovery and ISS fly overhead yesterday evening and I was suprised by how little they differed in brightness so I wasn't even sure that Discovery was actually ahead of ISS.Where can I get the best information on tracking the shuttle after undocking? Heavens Above is great for sightings of ISS but is too slow to keep up with the shuttle's course corrections so I'm never entirely sure of where and when to look. |
Apollo14LMP
Member Posts: 291
From: UK
Registered: Nov 2007
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posted 03-08-2011 04:48 AM
Discovery and the ISS clearly seen from a small park in Liverpool UK. I took my 9 year old daughter out to see this amazing spectacular. We were surprised at the brightness of the shuttle in comparison to the ISS as the previous contributor noted. An absolutely amazing sight... My colleagues in work now ask me to check the ISS sighting websites to see if they will get the chance to see the station fly over. This can only be a good thing as people not even interested in my unique "hobby" marvel at this wonderful sight. I am so pleased I got the chance to share this with my daughter last night - in such good viewing conditions. Sorry to see Discovery end her working life, but proud I at saw her in flight. Make the effort go and look out for the ISS you will not be disappointed. A safe journey home STS 133 God bless you! |
MarylandSpace
Member Posts: 1336
From:
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 03-08-2011 07:45 AM
I am looking for another chase tonight, about 25 minutes later in the evening.In Maryland, the Shuttle at 7:22 pm and the International Space Station at 7:23 pm should be travelling from Northwest to Southeast in the sky. It will be about a 3 or 4 minute chase with the shuttle a little dimmer tonight. Let's all have a great sighting tonight. Check "Heavens Above" website for your local listing and be sure to have your location plugged in. |
tegwilym
Member Posts: 2331
From: Sturgeon Bay, WI
Registered: Jan 2000
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posted 03-08-2011 11:51 AM
I'm sad that I didn't get a chance to see ISS/Discovery fly over my house this time. Seattle clouds have been very bad. At least I was there for the launch in person, very grateful to see that historic (but sad) moment.
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spaced out
Member Posts: 3110
From: Paris, France
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 03-08-2011 12:24 PM
Just watched Discovery and the ISS fly over France from my balcony with the kids, whose photos are on board as part of the "Your Face in Space" program.I was amazed how bright the Shuttle was - as bright as the ISS. When we first spotted it I was looking ahead of it for a dimmer spot and told the kids we probably couldn't make out the Shuttle. Then my daughter said "There's another one!" and indeed there was another shining star a short way behind that was in fact the ISS. Beautiful! |
BA002
Member Posts: 175
From: Utrecht,NL
Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 03-08-2011 01:11 PM
Just watched Discovery and ISS pass over Holland, quite a bit further apart than yesterday. Then I thought it might be my last farewell to Discovery, now I know for sure it was. It made me sad to see her disappear into the eastern horizon and know that whenever I might see her again she will be a museum piece, a thing of the past. |
drjeffbang
Member Posts: 110
From: Virginia
Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 03-08-2011 06:36 PM
WOW! My daughter and I just watched Discovery being trailed by the ISS. Finally, a clear night here in VA to see the last flight of the OV-103.
Spectacular.My wife was across town dropping off some things at Goodwill and pointing out the ISS and Shuttle to people in the parking lot! |
Fezman92
Member Posts: 1031
From: New Jersey, USA
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 03-08-2011 06:54 PM
I won't have any chances of seeing it because of the area I am in. Too many houses and trees. |
NavySpaceFan
Member Posts: 655
From: Norfolk, VA
Registered: May 2007
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posted 03-08-2011 06:55 PM
Just saw both Discovery and ISS fly over my house here in Norfolk!!! Conditions were perfect! The ISS looked like a H in my binoculars. I was very surprised by how bright Discovery was, much brighter than I expected. I guess the next time I see her with my own eyes will be in the Smithsonian. |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2475
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 03-08-2011 06:56 PM
We saw the Discovery and then a glimps of the ISS tonight at 7:23PM EST here in Georgia. It was cloudy but we did see both for a moment as the clouds broke. |
Fezman92
Member Posts: 1031
From: New Jersey, USA
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 03-08-2011 09:53 PM
Correction. I can see the ISS, I just talked to a friend of mine who is better at the degree part of it all and said I was looking for it the wrong way, making major mistakes. He said my biggest one is using a compass that was found with a big magnet stuck to it... |
icarkie
Member Posts: 618
From: BURTON ON TRENT /England
Registered: Nov 2002
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posted 03-09-2011 02:28 AM
quote:
Originally posted by hoorenz:
Just a simple camera, I did not have time to remember what the right settings were to photograph something like this (long time ago I did this) but at least I captured something.
Cracking shot mate.We had clear skies hear in the midlands. I tried... I very much tried, it was a shame. I think the passing being so low and the twilight didn't help. I can't remember which two shuttle I've seen go over in the past. One was around 8 minutes apart (STS-ISS). The 2nd sighting to both was around 5 degrees apart (beautiful). I think that was STS-120... Again it was a shame about last night, but at least I can say I seen them both in the same field of view. |
issman1
Member Posts: 1042
From: UK
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 03-09-2011 03:25 AM
quote:
Originally posted by icarkie:
I think the passing being so low and the twilight didn't help.
That's precisely what happened. But at least I did get to see Discovery flying formation with ISS on the 7th (like many others around the globe), so am content. STS-134 should also be visible in the evening skies, in late April. |
issman1
Member Posts: 1042
From: UK
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 04-05-2011 08:45 AM
Never having seen the Soyuz, does anyone know if TMA-21 will be visible from the UK tomorrow morning and when? I know ISS will be making a lengthy WSW-E pass at 0457 British Summer Time, weather-permitting as always. |
Fezman92
Member Posts: 1031
From: New Jersey, USA
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 09-04-2011 08:01 PM
I began doing a lot of watching the ISS, shuttle, Hubble, etc. passes starting a few months ago. When I started, all of them were around 2-4 a.m. for visible passes. About a month and a half ago they changed to 8-9 p.m. visible passes. Why did this change? Also the brightness of the ISS seemed to have changed. When I first saw the ISS pass (2 minutes), it was around 3 a.m. and it was very, very bright and roughly the size of an iPod touch. The next few I saw were 6 minutes to 3 minutes passes and the ISS looked significantly smaller and not as bright. Was the first pass really bright due to some trick of the eye? The first pass was a SSW/SSE and was facing the back of my house which does not get a lot of light pollution while the others were in the front of my house with more light pollution. |
ilbasso
Member Posts: 1522
From: Greensboro, NC USA
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 09-04-2011 09:46 PM
Several factors determine the visibility of a satellite - but ultimately it's geometry. You'll see the satellite only if it's illuminated by the Sun, is above your horizon, and is against a dark enough sky that you can see it. Because the satellites you mentioned are only a couple of hundred miles up, which is relatively small compared to the diameter of the Earth, you'll only see them in the hours just after sunset or just before sunrise. In summer in the Northern Hemisphere, you'll have longer periods of possible visibility after sunset or before sunrise. Since the Earth rotates under the satellites, they don't pass overhead at the same time every day. You may have favorable periods when the ISS has some evening passes for a couple of days in a row, then there is a long period of no visibility, and then it reappears with pre-dawn passes, as the geometry shifts. On some of the late evening or early morning passes, the satellite will disappear before it reaches the horizon. You'll see it rapidly fade out and disappear as it enters the Earth's shadow. The ISS passes above the horizon at your location several times a day, but not always while it's illuminated or against a dark sky. The ISS appears brightest when it's high in your sky. The angle of its solar panels relative to you will also affect its brightness. Depending on the angle between you, the ISS, and the sun, you may see the ISS brighten or dim considerably as it flies across the sky. If you've never seen one, I highly recommend looking for an Iridium flare. Heavens-above.com will tell you when these occur for your location. The antennas on the Iridium satellites are like huge mirrors, and when the angle with the sun is just right, they get REALLY bright. Stare at the sky in the vicinity of when a flare is about to occur, and you'll suddenly see the satellite brighten to visibility and then flare to an incredible brightness - sometimes 10 times the brightness of Venus - and then disappear, all within a matter of seconds. Get a watch that's well-calibrated, scope out the part of the sky where the flare will happen, and then amaze your friends! |
MarylandSpace
Member Posts: 1336
From:
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 06-04-2013 12:07 AM
Tonight's sky provided an incredibly clear and bright (-3.5) International Space Station sighting of over 4 minutes.I have been troubled my macular degeneration in my left eye recently, but I believe I saw length tonight rather than just a moving dot, and (don't laugh) the possibility of seeing the solar arrays looking like insect antennas. Did anyone else make similar observations? |
Glint
Member Posts: 1040
From: New Windsor, Maryland USA
Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 06-04-2013 12:15 PM
In the past, during exceptionally high elevation (in other words physically close) passes and with optical aid (7x50 Fujinon binoculars), I have seen the solar arrays as two blue dots sitting astride a white dot — the ISS "fuselage." |
Tykeanaut
Member Posts: 2212
From: Worcestershire, England, UK.
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 06-07-2013 07:36 AM
Saw it last night (6 min pass) through my 15 x 70 "bins". Just a bright cylindrical shape, no other detail unfortunately. |
Tykeanaut
Member Posts: 2212
From: Worcestershire, England, UK.
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 06-10-2013 03:52 AM
In addition to the ISS I also saw the ATV4 last night about a minute behind. It was brighter than I thought it would be and appeared to be travelling faster than the ISS, which I guess it would be as it's probably in a lower orbit to catch it up. |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 10-10-2013 04:52 PM
This is quite a stunning photo of the ISS as seen from Earth. |
COR482932
Member Posts: 212
From: Cork, Ireland
Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 10-18-2013 08:23 AM
Seeing the ISS for the very first time is quite a remarkable experience. I have seen station fly overhead probably a hundred times, but I think everyone will agree that it is a sight that never gets old!When I see station flying at 5 miles a second, I always wish the crew good luck in my head. I always love thinking "I wonder if there's someone looking down on me from the Cupola?" However, I feel the best thing to be able to say to yourself when you see the ISS getting dimmer and dimmer, is "See you in 90 minutes!" |
Tykeanaut
Member Posts: 2212
From: Worcestershire, England, UK.
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 10-18-2013 10:45 AM
There are some evening passes due over the UK up until 29th October, if the cloud clears? |
COR482932
Member Posts: 212
From: Cork, Ireland
Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 10-19-2013 03:45 AM
Yes that's right. There will be some incredibly bright ISS passes over mainland Europe, the UK and Ireland for the next 10 days or so. Fingers crossed the clouds should clear! |
JBoe
Member Posts: 960
From: Churchton, MD
Registered: Oct 2012
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posted 01-22-2014 06:32 PM
I really want to start observing the ISS on a regular basis, but my biggest problem is how to locate it. I know it's been suggested that GoSatWatch is probably the best, but I thought about the "old school" approach by mapping it from Heavens-Above and NASA's Spot the Station.My issue is referencing the min (when it appears), max, and when it disappears. How can one accurately gauge the degrees inclination as well as the constellation that it would be in during those three? And then trying to spot it with the naked eye to use binoculars in the very short window that it's visible. Any help and suggestions would be great! Thanks again. |
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