Spaceship Sighting Alert!
Written by Nancy Atkinson
The ISS. Credit: NASA
If you catch this post on Monday night, you might have a chance to see the International Space Station and Discovery while the space shuttle is still docked to the ISS. Flying as one, the station/shuttle complex is very bright and very easy to spot. But Tuesday evening you'll be able to see double. The shuttle is scheduled to undock from the station Tuesday at 2:26 pm CDT(19:26 GMT), and if you have clear skies, you should be able to see Discovery slightly trailing the ISS. It will be a great sight — highly recommended!
How do you find out when the duo will be flying over your backyard?
NASA has a Quick and Easy Sightings by City site, where you just search for your country and city which provides local times and the location in the sky where the station will be visible.
The Heaven's Above website is also an excellent site to find out when the ISS, as well as all sorts of other satellites and other heavenly sights will be visible. At Heaven's Above, you can plug in your exact latitude and longitude, so if you live in a remote area, you'll be able to have exact times and locations to look for satellites instead of relying on information for the nearest city.
Spaceweather.com has their Satellite Flyby Tracker page to provide sighting info for the US and Canada. Use this link for other countries around the world.
There's also this very cool Google Satellite tracker.
Additionally, you can get a notification on Twitter when the space station will be zooming over your skies. Follow Twisst.
Here's wishing everyone clear skies and great views!
Filed under: Space Shuttle, Space Station
Related stories on Universe Today
Comment policy: Be nice and brief. Don't advertise your stuff, or promote your personal theories. We'll delete any comments that break these policies. Click here for more details.
September 7th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
I am so glad I already had the schedule when it is going to appear over Sacramento, California=the ISS appeared about 7:10pm
PDT tonight and was brilliant like Venus but moving!!! This Wednesday I will use my 25×125mm WW2 Japanese bino given to me by my late uncle when he was a merchant seaman offloading materials in Japan in the late 40s' to early 50s'. Both the ISS and SS will be visible in my location.9/8 about 8:10pm PDT. I am always thrilled when I saw the ISS in the past few weeks/months. Awesome.. BTW, I tried following the ISS with my 14" SC but only saw the shape of the ISS just for a few seconds here and there and I tried by using the lowest power but moving too fast for a scope. Bino is the best to follow!!!!
September 7th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
I saw Endeavour and ISS after undocking last time. Certainly not a disappointing sight. Definitely planning on seeing this one too.
September 8th, 2009 at 9:47 am
HeyNOW! I've seen the ISS two nights in a row! Tues night's passage across the southern sky was VERY bright but the Wed. crossing was higher, brighter and longer lasting while crossing the Northern sky. I used 7X40 binoculars and distinctly saw two light/point sources which I presumed to be the solar arrays? They are VAST! And interesting how the orbit processes over 24 hours.. oui?
There's another sighting possibility from here tonight (090809) and THIS time I'll be out there with my 4" scope! digi-cam attached! Wish me luck! ~@; )
P.S. 090909? Odometer day anyone?
September 8th, 2009 at 9:55 am
I caught ISS an STS-128 Discovery attached in orbit Sunday the 6th at 8:20pm, Orlando,FL
http://www.celestronlife.com/photo/gallery/ISS-an-STS128-Discovery-9-6-09-8-30pm
Celestron8SE with Canon T1I prime focus,settings 1/250,ISO100,f0