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International Space Station

Off Topic » International Space Station (Posts 1 to 30 of 54)

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  1. Does anyone ever try and catch a glimpse of the ISS in the night sky?

    Our local TV weatherman said just before 7:00pm that there was a chance to see the ISS pass overhead. So out I went and, lo-and-behold, there it was!!

    A bright speck in the sky moving surprisingly fast and then fading from view as it passed into the Earth's shadow.

    I wasn't 100% sure whether this was the actual ISS (and at this particular time the shuttle would have been docked - and maybe even with some astronauts spacewalking!) so I visited this site:

    http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/tracking/

    and the orbit seemed to be in the right place. And when I went to the "sighting opportunities" link and went to my nearest listed location (Wrexham) the observation times matched exactly.

    It was just a bright light in the sky, moving extremely fast but considering what it was... shocked

    And to add to the spectacle just in that same location in the sky that the ISS was visible a shooting star briefly appeared!! shocked shocked

    (At least I hope it was a shooting star and not the ISS)
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
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      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeFeb 11th 2008
    I once saw MIR but ISS not yet!
    Doesn't pass by here it seems...
    Kazoo
  3. The ISS was scheduled to be visible again tonight at ~7.15pm but I wasn't sure if I'd see much of it as the path across the sky would only reach 21° above the horizon (compared to 35° yesterday) and there's a few houses around that may have obscured any view.

    But I did manage to get another glimpse of it before it faded - and this time I came prepared with a pair of binoculars. Good job too!! There seemed to be a faint sweeping "tail" coming from the ISS - almost like a comet - sweeping in one direction and then turning back on itself like a reversed letter "c". I had read somewhere that it was sometimes possible to see ice crystals formed by venting from the station and I presume that this must have been what I was seeing!!

    Anyone in the Bristol area and wanting to take a look?

    http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/s … ty=Bristol
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    •  
      CommentAuthorBregje
    • CommentTimeFeb 15th 2008
    No kidding!! You could see that? shocked That must be cool. I didn't know it could be visible.
    Thanks for the link. I will take a look at it.

    We have been talking a lot here about space and planets and stuff, because Julian is very interested in all of these things at the moment. Actually, not just at the moment, when he was 4 he said he wanted to be an astronaut, hehe. Well, if he keeps exploring things the way he does know, being curious and a smart-ass all the time, he might become one too. Not sure how I would feel though. I'd probably be the proudest and scariest mom on earth. Anyway, enough mom-talk.
    wink
    •  
      CommentAuthorBregje
    • CommentTimeFeb 15th 2008
    I just took a look at the link (which is quite addictive because there is much other interesting info as well, like demo videos and such). According to the 'sighting opportunities' site it will be visible tomorrow again. We will have a cloudless day and the time is nice too, so I will give it a try. Thanks to the 'sightings help' I now understand that it will be quite low to the horizon (20 DEG) so I'm not sure if I can see it? Wednesday would have been a much better day indeed (except for the mist we had all day of course)...

    Tilburg:
    ISS Sat Feb 16/06:31 PM 2 20 20 above SSW 10 above SSE

    Not perfect, but we'll see...
  6. Bregje, don't forget that if viewing conditions don't work out this time it will be around at some point in the future. I think that the viewing conditions from the weekend means that it is better viewed from the Southern hemisphere.

    Shame that we can't see the shuttle separating from the ISS. Apparently, because of the whiteness of the shuttle it is even brighter than the ISS and you'd be able to pick up the two separating.
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeFeb 16th 2008
    I saw Skylab once.

    Remember that one Alan? smile
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    •  
      CommentAuthorAtham
    • CommentTimeFeb 16th 2008 edited
    I saw the ISS pass over back in October. It was certainly brighter than any of the stars out there.
    Quite impressive really!
    About 3 weeks earlier we had two bright orange lights fly overhead followed 10 mins later by a third one.
    No idea what they were but they were self propelled as they seperated in different directions after a while. They made no noise either. There was no breeze and they weren't ballons or lanterns.
    Many people reported them.
    I'm not big on the alien idea but maybe secret military craft or something like that. I dont know?
    They looked very cool though!
  9. Timmer wrote
    I saw Skylab once.

    Remember that one Alan? smile

    I do remember it! But I don't recall even seeing it in the sky.

    I do remember when I was at school (~'76-'82), after maybe a youth club I was waiting outside to be picked up and it was a clear dark night. Looking up there was a "star" moving really fast. Must have been a satellite.

    Now with the advent of the internet and information being only a click away, it's so easy to confirm sightings, plan ahead, etc.
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeFeb 16th 2008
    FalkirkBairn wrote
    Timmer wrote
    I saw Skylab once.

    Remember that one Alan? smile

    I do remember it! But I don't recall even seeing it in the sky.

    I do remember when I was at school (~'76-'82), after maybe a youth club I was waiting outside to be picked up and it was a clear dark night. Looking up there was a "star" moving really fast. Must have been a satellite.

    Now with the advent of the internet and information being only a click away, it's so easy to confirm sightings, plan ahead, etc.


    A friend of mine is an amateur astronomer, we watched Skylab move across the sky through his telescope, although it still appeared as a white blob you could still make out the solar panelled "wings". cool
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
  11. Timmer wrote
    FalkirkBairn wrote
    Timmer wrote
    I saw Skylab once.

    Remember that one Alan? smile

    I do remember it! But I don't recall even seeing it in the sky.

    I do remember when I was at school (~'76-'82), after maybe a youth club I was waiting outside to be picked up and it was a clear dark night. Looking up there was a "star" moving really fast. Must have been a satellite.

    Now with the advent of the internet and information being only a click away, it's so easy to confirm sightings, plan ahead, etc.


    A friend of mine is an amateur astronomer, we watched Skylab move across the sky through his telescope, although it still appeared as a white blob you could still make out the solar panelled "wings". cool

    cool indeed!

    I used to have a small refractor telescope - I think that it's in the shed somewhere. It was big enough to get some nice details of the moon during the phases and I could pick out Saturn's rings and the Galilean moons of Jupiter. I'd go for a modest reflector if I were to take it up again.
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeFeb 16th 2008
    FalkirkBairn wrote
    Timmer wrote
    FalkirkBairn wrote
    Timmer wrote
    I saw Skylab once.

    Remember that one Alan? smile

    I do remember it! But I don't recall even seeing it in the sky.

    I do remember when I was at school (~'76-'82), after maybe a youth club I was waiting outside to be picked up and it was a clear dark night. Looking up there was a "star" moving really fast. Must have been a satellite.

    Now with the advent of the internet and information being only a click away, it's so easy to confirm sightings, plan ahead, etc.


    A friend of mine is an amateur astronomer, we watched Skylab move across the sky through his telescope, although it still appeared as a white blob you could still make out the solar panelled "wings". cool

    cool indeed!

    I used to have a small refractor telescope - I think that it's in the shed somewhere. It was big enough to get some nice details of the moon during the phases and I could pick out Saturn's rings and the Galilean moons of Jupiter. I'd go for a modest reflector if I were to take it up again.


    Yeah, we looked at various moons and Saturn's rings too cool

    I'd go with Patrick Moore's advice that unless you're willing to splash out on something decent then your better off buying a good pair of binoculers than a small telescope.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
  13. That's maybe why I've never invested in another telescope. I have a couple of pairs of binoculars and they are generally sufficient for casual viewings. Telescopes, in my own experience, take too long to set up, and I never did manage to get a good solid stand sorted out.

    One thing I do remember being pleased about with my telescope was using it for viewing sunspots - but even then, with a bit of jiggery-pockery (spelling?), binoculars can be good.
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeFeb 16th 2008
    And remember kids, don't view sun spots directly through the telescope! wink
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    •  
      CommentAuthorFalkirkBairn
    • CommentTimeFeb 16th 2008 edited
    Timmer wrote
    And remember kids, don't view sun spots directly through the telescope! wink

    Yes, definitely!

    People should NEVER look at the sun directly through binoculars, telescopes, etc.

    http://www.madsci.org/experiments/archi … 56.As.html

    What I used to do was to cut a hole in a square of card (the lid of a monopoly game as I recall) and place it over the tube of a telescope and then project the image from the telescope into a piece of plain, white paper.

    Good for eclipses, too! Or trees...http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/eclipses/10jun02/page3/Galloway2.jpg (for some reason you need to cut-and-paste this link.)
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    •  
      CommentAuthorBregje
    • CommentTimeFeb 17th 2008
    Wow people! Although I knew from your experiences that it should be bright, moving very fast and at the exact given time, I was actually amazed that it was so bright, moving fast and at the exact given time!
    dizzy
    Weird to think of what you're looking at indeed. That was cool. Next time I'll certainly watch again.
  17. punk to you Bregje!!

    Great to know that you took the time to take a look! It is quite impressive - for a bright, fast-moving & punctual phenomenon!!
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    •  
      CommentAuthorWilliam
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2008 edited
    FalkirkBairn wrote
    Does anyone ever try and catch a glimpse of the ISS in the night sky?


    Yep. My dad is a big space nerd; he absolutely loves NASA, and he and I often go outside at night to see certain stars, planets, the space shuttle, and the ISS pass by. We've been to several space shuttle launches, as well. Really cool stuff. smile
    • CommentAuthorAnthony
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2008
    TheTelmarine wrote
    We've been to several space shuttle launches, as well. Really cool stuff. smile


    Now that I'd like to see!! Is it loud at all, or is it quite quiet from a distance?
    •  
      CommentAuthorWilliam
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2008
    Anthony wrote
    TheTelmarine wrote
    We've been to several space shuttle launches, as well. Really cool stuff. smile


    Now that I'd like to see!! Is it loud at all, or is it quite quiet from a distance?


    Honestly, I haven't been to one for probably five to seven years, so I don't remember everything, but I'm pretty sure it's still relatively loud from a distance.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2008
    TheTelmarine wrote
    Anthony wrote
    TheTelmarine wrote
    We've been to several space shuttle launches, as well. Really cool stuff. smile


    Now that I'd like to see!! Is it loud at all, or is it quite quiet from a distance?


    Honestly, I haven't been to one for probably five to seven years, so I don't remember everything, but I'm pretty sure it's still relatively loud from a distance.


    You've been to several launches and don't remember!??? shocked
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    •  
      CommentAuthorWilliam
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2008 edited
    Timmer wrote
    TheTelmarine wrote
    Anthony wrote
    TheTelmarine wrote
    We've been to several space shuttle launches, as well. Really cool stuff. smile


    Now that I'd like to see!! Is it loud at all, or is it quite quiet from a distance?


    Honestly, I haven't been to one for probably five to seven years, so I don't remember everything, but I'm pretty sure it's still relatively loud from a distance.


    You've been to several launches and don't remember!??? shocked


    Dude, I was like five or ten! biggrin wink
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2008
    Anthony wrote
    TheTelmarine wrote
    We've been to several space shuttle launches, as well. Really cool stuff. smile


    Now that I'd like to see!! Is it loud at all, or is it quite quiet from a distance?


    You need time and patience. A friend of mine was hoping to see a launch, it was posponed by a few days by which time he had to fly back home, in fact, it launched that very morning. rolleyes
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2008
    TheTelmarine wrote
    Timmer wrote
    TheTelmarine wrote
    Anthony wrote
    TheTelmarine wrote
    We've been to several space shuttle launches, as well. Really cool stuff. smile


    Now that I'd like to see!! Is it loud at all, or is it quite quiet from a distance?


    Honestly, I haven't been to one for probably five to seven years, so I don't remember everything, but I'm pretty sure it's still relatively loud from a distance.


    You've been to several launches and don't remember!??? shocked


    Dude, I was like five or ten! biggrin wink


    Ah I see, okay cool beer
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2008
    I can remember my first day of school which was when I was 5, I'm surprised you can't remember a launch? Especially if you were 10! shocked I hope you have good short term memory. biggrin
    •  
      CommentAuthorWilliam
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2008
    Timmer wrote
    TheTelmarine wrote
    Timmer wrote
    TheTelmarine wrote
    Anthony wrote
    TheTelmarine wrote
    We've been to several space shuttle launches, as well. Really cool stuff. smile


    Now that I'd like to see!! Is it loud at all, or is it quite quiet from a distance?


    Honestly, I haven't been to one for probably five to seven years, so I don't remember everything, but I'm pretty sure it's still relatively loud from a distance.


    You've been to several launches and don't remember!??? shocked


    Dude, I was like five or ten! biggrin wink


    Ah I see, okay cool beer


    beer
    •  
      CommentAuthorDemonStar
    • CommentTimeJul 11th 2008
    I love watching stars at night, too! And really interested in space science. Would love to see a real shuttle launch one day!

    And that's why, though I now see there are quite a lot of scientific errors (they were written several years before the actual moon project), the Destination Moon and Explorers On The Moon comics from the Tintin series were my favourites in childhood! biggrin
  28. Anthony wrote
    TheTelmarine wrote
    We've been to several space shuttle launches, as well. Really cool stuff. smile


    Now that I'd like to see!! Is it loud at all, or is it quite quiet from a distance?

    I think that there's something like a 3 mile "safe distance" exclusion zone for people around the launch site. Even at that distance the ground shockwave from the engines starting up is enough to set off car alarms!!
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    •  
      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeJul 11th 2008
    Steven wrote
    I can remember my first day of school which was when I was 5, I'm surprised you can't remember a launch? Especially if you were 10! shocked I hope you have good short term memory. biggrin


    He's like Nemo's chick wink
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
    •  
      CommentAuthorWilliam
    • CommentTimeJul 12th 2008
    Christodoulides wrote
    Steven wrote
    I can remember my first day of school which was when I was 5, I'm surprised you can't remember a launch? Especially if you were 10! shocked I hope you have good short term memory. biggrin


    He's like Nemo's chick wink


    LOL Demetris, I'm not that bad! biggrin

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