Semi-related - other stuff in the sky
by
xmas2003
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· Score: 4, Informative
I realize not related to the space station, but still looking up in the sky at night, the most obvious thing is the moon... and we just had a lunar eclipse, although it was not visible to folks in America. For anyone interested, I shot a few nifty pictures of the November 8th, 2003 lunar eclipse and I even have some cool Aurora Boealis pictures from 10 days earlier when it got as far down South as Colorado.
More than just now.
by
gmiller123456
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· Score: 5, Informative
The space station is visible many times throughout the year. This website gives very accurate times for spotting it, and many, many other satellites. http://www.heavens-above.com/
Station Location + Celestia
by
brownpau
·
· Score: 4, Informative
Yesterday in the office: I had my iBook beside me, running Celestia. Try this: Current time, realtime, Select ISS, Go to ISS, Sync Orbit. Maneuver a bit around the station till you're where the Destiny module window is, then adjust the viewpoint so you get a nice horizon view. (Or just Track Sol.) Then just leave it running. Voila: anytime you feel like seeing what the ISS crew can see from Destiny, just look at Celestia.:)
(Interestingly enough, comparing the Celestia ISS view with the Station Location website, I found that Celestia's synchronization is a teeny bit off, but not by much. Nice work!)
If you watch the ISS pass overhead, or any other satellite, imagine that you have no idea what it is. Look for signs of unusual movements... see how it wiggles around in its path? You can really tell if you're in a moving vehicle -- it chases after you, and then suddenly it's gone!
GOTCHA!
When we went to White Sands, New Mexico, they had a guide show off the excellent view of the stars. He explained some basic astronomy, talked about relative distances and such, and then someone said, "what's that?"
It was a satellite, of course, and he played the trick above on the folks who hadn't watched one go across the sky before. He really had some of them going, too... I heard a few "hmmm!"s from the group as he described the light's perceived non-linear motion.
It gave him a great chance to explain why satellites get reported as UFOs, complete with unusual movements and sudden disappearances. The satellite is moving in a nearly perfect curve across the sky, but your head isn't a very steady viewing platform. And when a light in the sky (distance = way far) gets close to a tree or something (distance = well known), your brain perceives the motion as changing.
Hopefully, he gave the eastbound tourists something to think about on their way to Roswell.
-- Stressed? Me?
Of course not.
Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
Chance of a lifetime
by
JayBees
·
· Score: 4, Funny
Most importantly folks, this is a fantastic opportunity to go outside and yell "That's no moon! It's a space station!" at people who pass you on the street.
Slashdot Mirror
Another cool thing is Iridium Flares which are bright flashes of reflected sunlight from the Iridium satellite solar panels for 5-20 seconds - here is an excellent writeup about those including how to predict 'em!
Hulk SMASH Celiac Disease
The space station is visible many times throughout the year. This website gives very accurate times for spotting it, and many, many other satellites.
http://www.heavens-above.com/
Current ISS position, updated every minute.
:)
Yesterday in the office: I had my iBook beside me, running Celestia. Try this: Current time, realtime, Select ISS, Go to ISS, Sync Orbit. Maneuver a bit around the station till you're where the Destiny module window is, then adjust the viewpoint so you get a nice horizon view. (Or just Track Sol.) Then just leave it running. Voila: anytime you feel like seeing what the ISS crew can see from Destiny, just look at Celestia.
(Interestingly enough, comparing the Celestia ISS view with the Station Location website, I found that Celestia's synchronization is a teeny bit off, but not by much. Nice work!)
If you watch the ISS pass overhead, or any other satellite, imagine that you have no idea what it is. Look for signs of unusual movements... see how it wiggles around in its path? You can really tell if you're in a moving vehicle -- it chases after you, and then suddenly it's gone!
GOTCHA!
When we went to White Sands, New Mexico, they had a guide show off the excellent view of the stars. He explained some basic astronomy, talked about relative distances and such, and then someone said, "what's that?"
It was a satellite, of course, and he played the trick above on the folks who hadn't watched one go across the sky before. He really had some of them going, too... I heard a few "hmmm!"s from the group as he described the light's perceived non-linear motion.
It gave him a great chance to explain why satellites get reported as UFOs, complete with unusual movements and sudden disappearances. The satellite is moving in a nearly perfect curve across the sky, but your head isn't a very steady viewing platform. And when a light in the sky (distance = way far) gets close to a tree or something (distance = well known), your brain perceives the motion as changing.
Hopefully, he gave the eastbound tourists something to think about on their way to Roswell.
Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
Most importantly folks, this is a fantastic opportunity to go outside and yell "That's no moon! It's a space station!" at people who pass you on the street.