Has Anyone Seen the ISS?

[brellis]

I'm going to try to spot it from the Los Angeles area next Tuesday, 5AM. Seems like it will catch some sun rays at that time. I'm figgering it looks as big and bright as Venus. According to the Heavens-Above site, it's visible for a total of two minutes -- similar to the pace of an airplane passing overhead, I s'pose.<br /><br />Has anyone accomplished this? Is there a benefit to using binocs? Appreciate any tips -- I'd hate to drag myself out of bed that early for nothing <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br /><br />Looking forward to waving hello to Sunita Williams! <img src="/images/icons/cool.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[bdewoody]

Yes I've seen it a few time here in central florida when it flies over at the right time of night. It's a big bright fast moving object. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em><font size="2">Bob DeWoody</font></em> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

No need for binoculars.<br /><br />The Heavens-Above predictions give a magnitude (brightness).<br />For reference, Venus in the western evening sky is Magnitude -4.5. The brightest thing in the sky other than the sun or moon.<br />Jupiter, rising in the south before midnight is Mag -2.5<br />Sirius (below and left of Orion in the northern hemisphere) is mag -1.5.<br />The ISS is usually dimmer than that, but can be brighter than all stars other than Sirius, so it stands out.<br /><br />The ISS is bright enough that if you are looking in the right direction, you can't miss it. Binocs are useful if it goes into shadow; i.e if the ending point is above 10 degrees. Once it goes into shadow, you can watch it for a few tens of seconds through the binoculars.<br />That goes for Iridiums, too. The Iridium flares are very bright (negative magnitudes) but after the flare, if you put binoculars on it, the rest of the satellite can be tracked for 10- 30 seconds. As long as you're out there.... <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <br /><br />Wayne<br />VERY IMPORTANT!!<br />For the ISS you need a timepiece accurate (calibrated) within a minute or so; if you intend to look for Iridiums, your timepiece must be accurate to within 5 or 10 seconds.<br /><br />If your watch or clock is off by 1 minute, the predictions are almost worthless. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[tony873004]

It's easy to spot without binoculars if you pick an apparation where its highest point is above 30 degrees (the middle column in Heavens-Above tabels). It looks brighter than Sirius to me.<br /><br />But with binoculars, you can see some shape to it. I used 7x35 binoculars and I could barely detect that it wasn't a single point, but rather what looked like two connected points. It wasn't immediately obvious. I had to convince myself that I wasn't imagining it.

 

[MeteorWayne]

There's a thread here that discusses watching spacecraft and has links to sources.<br /><br />Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[brellis]

thanks all very much for the input i'll report my results <img src="/images/icons/cool.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[Boris_Badenov]

Check out this thread too.<img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#993300"><span class="body"><font size="2" color="#3366ff"><div align="center">. </div><div align="center">Never roll in the mud with a pig. You'll both get dirty & the pig likes it.</div></font></span></font> </div>

 

[qso1]

I saw it from South Fla.<br /><br />It could be confused with a jetliner at higher altitudes but there was no sign of contrail and the sun was just about to rise. The sky itself was still dark blue so if it were a jet, the contrail may not have been visible. The sighting time and direction was announced prior to my going out and looking.<br /><br />I would say it that there was an 80% probability ISS is what I saw. I would recommend if one wants to be sure, take a pair of high powered binoculars or a small telescope to see any sign of structural detail that would distinguish ISS from aircraft. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

I don't think binoculars help much; I;ve never been able to see any detail<br /><br />I just go by the timing and locations for the heavens-above page. They are highly accurate for the ISS. You can also click on the date and it will show you the orbit across the sky. Once you've seen it a few times, you get used to the speed vs elevation and it's easy to recognize. <br /><br />Sort of like Iridium Flares. Once you've seen a few, you recognize them instantly. I've even seen a few that were not predicted for Iridiums that have lost control and are therefore no longer listed on the page. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

Some particularly dedicated (and experienced) astrophotographers have made out detail. But it's not easy at all. They use large telescopes (10" and up) and CCD imagers which can produce images that they can stack digitally to enhance contrast. I've also seen silhouette shots against the Sun or Moon, which of course require a tremendous amount of planning (and a good bit of luck). Again, though, you need quite a bit of power to get any kind of detail, and the greater the power, the harder it will be to actually catch it -- you need your telescope perfectly aligned *in advance* or you won't find it in time.<br /><br />To the naked eye, it's a brilliant "star", significantly brighter than any real star in the sky. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

You're not Sirius <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />Actually on most passes, it is dimmer than Sirius (Mag -1.5), but brighter tha MOST stars in the sky.<br /><br />MW <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

An excellent point. The increase in brightness with the last solar array installation was impressive. Even as someone who hates light pollution, I didn't mind <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> It's small and moves fast <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[brellis]

I haven't had luck seeing ISS yet, but I'm keeping track on heavens-above. I bought some Bushnell binoculars and my buddy won a 'scope on eBay that can be attached to his fancy camera, so maybe we're gonna get some pics to post here! <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <br /><br />Any pointers on using a camera with 'scope? I figger to try to aim it at a point ISS will intersect, spot ISS with the binocs and then start clicking on the camera shutter <img src="/images/icons/cool.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[Boris_Badenov]

You won't need the binoculars to see the ISS, it's visable even in bright city lights. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#993300"><span class="body"><font size="2" color="#3366ff"><div align="center">. </div><div align="center">Never roll in the mud with a pig. You'll both get dirty & the pig likes it.</div></font></span></font> </div>

 

[brellis]

I'm a little nearsighted, and I don't have glasses, so the binocs are a way to focus my eyes for long distance viewing <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[5billionyearsearlier]

Yes! James and I saw it twice here in Manchester, UK last night. Once at about 10.22pm and then again just before midnight...<br />It was way faster than an aeroplane! <br />It was very bright... you can't miss it if you're looking for it <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[mithridates]

Maybe I'll ask here because my post got lost in a flurry of pre-launch activity - does anybody know what the magnitude of the station is going to be after the new solar panels are installed, and especially while Atlantis is still docked? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>----- </p><p>http://mithridates.blogspot.com</p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

I don't know that can be predicted precisely, since much depends on the exact alighnment during different parts of a pass. <br />I've seen it brighter than zero magnitude under current configuration, and it will be brighter, but it all depends on the angles and such for a particular pass. It possibly could be as bright as -1 (almost as bright as Sirius) on a good pass. Best thing to do is look and see for yourself. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

spaceweather.com today has a sweet photo of the ISS; click on it to see it as an animated GIF. An interesting thing occurs during the video -- a sudden flare as sunlight glints off of the Progress' solar arrays. A new term has been coined for this sort of thing: ISS flares, similar to Iridium flares but off of the ISS. So if conditions are good, magnitude can vary quite dramatically. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

I witnessed a super flare from the ISS a year or so ago.<br /><br />It was at least mag -2.5, and that was before any of the recent additions.<br /><br />Tonight is a good pass overhead (44 degrees) in NJ, best since the launch, but with the clouds overhead, even the magnitude -26 sun isn't making it through <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[brellis]

heavens-above has a new ground-track feature on their visible pass details page showing the path of various satellites superimposed over land maps <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

Do you mean the "Current position of the ISS" globe on the right?<br /><br />That's always been there <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[brellis]

no, that's cool too. I mean when you click "submit" and the little "new" sign appears next to ground-track on the Visible Pass Details page <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

Yes that is indeed new. Don't know why I didn't see it yesterday.<br /><br />Maybe because the "new" flag wasn't attached to a 2x4 aimed at my noggin <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>