IP: help on Californians can see the Space Station tonight!

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 11:00:43 -0700
> To: farber () cis upenn edu
> From: Christopher Buja <cbuja () cisco com>
> Subject: Re: IP: Californians can see the Space Station tonight!
>
> one of the better tools for satellite (and space station) observation
> is www.heavens-above.com/
>
> you can map satellite passes against background stars -- it is very simple.
>
> here is a pre-tuned view set for this pass from Palo Alto, CA
> (but it is very easy to adjust for *any* locale)
> http://www.heavens-above.com/main.asp?Loc=Palo+Alto&Lat=37.442&Lng=-122.142&TZ=PST
>
>  - Chris
>
> btw  this web page is unsurpassed for spotting Iridium flares: brief 
> events which flare to magnitude -8.  The lower the magnitude, the brighter 
> the light; so Iridium flares are brighter than Venus (-4.4), brighter than 
> tonight's ISS (-0.7) reported able to cast shadows in a dark sky.  For 
> reference, the full moon is magnitude -12.  One child observer called it 
> "star lightning".
>
> The Iridium events are very transient (5-8 seconds) and localized 
> (footprint might be only 100 km 
> wide)  http://www.assa.org.au/observing/iridium/
>
>
> At 01:36 PM 10/23/2001 -0400, you wrote:
>
> > > Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 09:12:00 -0700
> > > To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
> > > From: "Joseph C. Pistritto" <jcp () jcphome com>
> > > Subject: Not Anthrax: - Californians can see the Space Station tonight!
> > >
> > > In case you've never seen a satellite before from the ground, or live in 
> > > a big city, now's your chance if you live on the west coast. The pass 
> > > will go directly overhead San Francisco and then basically down highway 
> > > 5 past San Diego and into Baja California.  So almost anyone in 
> > > California should be able to see it clearly.  ISS is bright enough that 
> > > if you can see the sky, you can even see it in San Francisco or LA for 
> > > the most part.
> > >
> > > Look straight up at 7:09 PM Pacific tonight.  It wont be completely dark 
> > > then, but ISS is bright enough.  You'll probably think you're seeing an 
> > > airplane.
> > >
> > > It will appear about 7:07 near the end of the "handle" of the big Dipper 
> > > and progress to a point straight over head (85 degrees up) at 7:09:40.
> > > I observed the pass last night which wasn't as good and it was right on 
> > > time.  Watch it when its approaching overhead, you'll see it brighten 
> > > dramatically a couple of times.  Those are sun glints off the solar 
> > > arrays.  They were very bright last night, almost doubling the 
> > > brightness of the object.
> > >
> > > A description of the pass is at:
> > > http://platec.gsoc.dlr.de/ion/ion-p.exe?page=iss%5Cissobs.ion&lo=-122.3086&la=37.5083&t=24%2DOct%2D2001+01%3A49%3A42&zone=-7.00
> > >
> > > www.heavens-above.com is a great site for figuring out what you can see 
> > > from your location.  Its run by the German Space Operations Agency.
> > >
> > > ISS is now the brightest of all the satellites and the easiest to 
> > > view.   Tonight there will be a Soyuz capsule from the recent launch 
> > > from Russia with a French cosmonaut on board.  You will be looking at 
> > > the home of the only 6 people living off the surface of the earth.  (ISS 
> > > normally has a crew of 3 but the other 3 are visiting to exchange Soyuz 
> > > capsules at the station.  The new group of 3 arrived today and will be 
> > > leaving next week).
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Joseph C. Pistritto                             Cell: 650 464 4859
> > > jcp () jcphome com                             Web: www.jcphome.com
> >
> >
> > For archives see:
> > http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/


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