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ISS To Become Second Brightest-Object In the Sky

Matt_dk writes "Move over, Morning Star. Once Canadarm2 helps install the fourth and final set of solar array wings to the International Space Station later this month, the Station will surpass Venus as the brightest object in the night sky, second only to the Moon. The Space Shuttle Discovery is set to deliver the power-generating solar panels and Starboard 6 (S6) truss segment to the ISS on the 125th mission in the Shuttle program, known as STS-119/15A (slated for launch on March 11)."

14 of 243 comments (clear)

  1. He's Headed to That Small Moon Over There by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Move over, Morning Star. Once Canadarm2 helps install the fourth and final set of solar array wings to the International Space Station later this month, the Station will surpass Venus as the brightest object in the night sky, second only to the Moon.

    That's no moon. It's the International Space Station.

  2. Re:Second only to the Moon? by argux · · Score: 5, Funny

    He lives in Alaska, you insensitive clod!

  3. The Moon: A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by Amazing+Quantum+Man · · Score: 5, Funny

    It amazes me that so many allegedly "educated" people have fallen so quickly and so hard for a fraudulent fabrication of such laughable proportions. The very idea that a gigantic ball of rock happens to orbit our planet, showing itself in neat, four-week cycles -- with the same side facing us all the time -- is ludicrous. Furthermore, it is an insult to common sense and a damnable affront to intellectual honesty and integrity. That people actually believe it is evidence that the liberals have wrested the last vestiges of control of our public school system from decent, God-fearing Americans (as if any further evidence was needed! Daddy's Roommate? God Almighty!)

    Documentaries such as Enemy of the State have accurately portrayed the elaborate, byzantine network of surveillance satellites that the liberals have sent into space to spy on law-abiding Americans. Equipped with technology developed by Handgun Control, Inc., these satellites have the ability to detect firearms from hundreds of kilometers up. That's right, neighbors .. the next time you're out in the backyard exercising your Second Amendment rights, the liberals will see it! These satellites are sensitive enough to tell the difference between a Colt .45 and a .38 Special! And when they detect you with a firearm, their computers cross-reference the address to figure out your name, and then an enormous database housed at Berkeley is updated with information about you.

    Of course, this all works fine during the day, but what about at night? Even the liberals can't control the rotation of the Earth to prevent nightfall from setting in (only Joshua was able to ask for that particular favor!) That's where the "moon" comes in. Powered by nuclear reactors, the "moon" is nothing more than an enormous balloon, emitting trillions of candlepower of gun-revealing light. Piloted by key members of the liberal community, the "moon" is strategically moved across the country, pointing out those who dare to make use of their God-given rights at night!

    Yes, I know this probably sounds paranoid and preposterous, but consider this. Despite what the revisionist historians tell you, there is no mention of the "moon" anywhere in literature or historical documents -- anywhere -- before 1950. That is when it was initially launched. When President Josef Kennedy, at the State of the Union address, proclaimed "We choose to go to the moon", he may as well have said "We choose to go to the weather balloon." The subsequent faking of a "moon" landing on national TV was the first step in a long history of the erosion of our constitutional rights by leftists in this country. No longer can we hide from our government when the sun goes down.

    --
    Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
    1. Re:The Moon: A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by MrEricSir · · Score: 5, Funny

      Either someone just got trolled, or I just got reverse-trolled.

      It's getting harder and harder to tell these days.

      --
      There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
    2. Re:The Moon: A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by neko+the+frog · · Score: 5, Funny

      Are you nuts? Less than a minute googling 'history of the moon' will give you hundreds of references to it pre 1950.

      uh the internet wasnt around in 1950 genius

      --
      -- the opinions stated above aren't those of my employer. in fact, they're probably not even my own. you know what, ju
    3. Re:The Moon: A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by dapyx · · Score: 5, Funny

      The moon was born on 16 September, 1908, at least that's what google says.

      --
      I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is an imaginary number. Please rotate your phone 90 degrees and dial again.
  4. Re:It doesn't matter for me by Nos. · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Even growing up in a small town I didn't really comprehend how many stars there were until we went camping. We were in Dinosaur Provincial Park and once it got dark it was amazing. With almost no nearby light pollution, you can clearly see an arm of the milky way overhead. Even without that arm, there are too many stars to count.

  5. How ironic by zmooc · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Isn't it ironic that the parts of the ISS that are meant to absorb as much sunlight as they can, actually reflect enough of it to make the ISS the seconds brightest object in the sky:P

    --
    0x or or snor perron?!
  6. Re:2nd brightest? not quite. by Maury+Markowitz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    > This still doesn't rival the brightness of an Iridium flare.

    Yes it does. It does already. You're comparing flare mags with standard mags. The ISS _does_ flare, and when it does it is much brighter than Iridium. Sadly, Mike Tyrrell's page is gone, but there was a collection of images there.

    Maury

  7. Re:Reminds me of a song... by Shadow+Wrought · · Score: 5, Funny

    Star light, star bright,
    First star I see tonight,
    I wish I may, I wish I might,
    Ah crap, it's a satellite.

    --
    If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
  8. Re:Which country? by Capt.DrumkenBum · · Score: 5, Funny
    I believe it was made in China.

    Like most things in Canada.

    Signed, a proud Canadian.

    --
    If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
  9. Re:It doesn't matter for me by Daimanta · · Score: 5, Funny

    "However, I live in the flight path of a nearby airport. How can I tell the difference between ISS, and a passing plane?"

    If you fire a stinger at it and it hits, it's most certainly a plain. If it misses, it's probably the ISS.

    Works for me.

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
  10. Re:2nd brightest? not quite. by ivan256 · · Score: 5, Funny

    From the summary:

    as the brightest object in the night sky

    From your comment:

    Plus, you know, THE SUN.

    Last I checked, and admittedly It's been almost 12 hours, the sun isn't visible in the sky at night...

  11. Re:Oblig by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Both Sky (BSkyB) and The Sun are owned by Rupert Murdock.

    This must mean Rupert Murdock is some sort of universal force, as he binds the Sun to the Sky...