Good ISS pass for northern Utah tonight (Tuesday). Appears 21h58m35s 3.6mag az:305.4° NW horizon Culmination 22h03m30s -4.5mag az:217.8° SW h:80.0° Distance: 355.8km height above Earth: 352.0km elevation of sun: -12° Disappears 22h05m08s -3.3mag az:133.0° SE h:23.3° pw
From SpaceWeather. Of possible interest for tonight's pass: Space Weather News for May 26, 2009 http://spaceweather.com SPACE STATION FLARES: Lately, a growing number of observers are reporting intense "flares" coming from the International Space Station (ISS). During some nighttime flybys, the luminosity of the space station surges 10-fold or more. Some people have witnessed flares of magnitude -8 or twenty-five times brighter than Venus. A movie featured on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com shows what is happening: sunlight glints from the station's recently expanded solar arrays in a shadow-casting flash. Currently, the flares are unpredictable. You watch a flyby not knowing if one will happen or how bright it might be. That's what makes the hunt for "ISS flares" so much fun. Sky watchers in North America should be alert for flares this week. The ISS is making a series of evening passes over many US and Canadian towns and cities. Flyby times are available from the Simple Satellite Tracker: http://spaceweather.com/flybys On 26 May 2009, at 14:47, Patrick Wiggins wrote:
Good ISS pass for northern Utah tonight (Tuesday).
Appears 21h58m35s 3.6mag az:305.4° NW horizon
Culmination 22h03m30s -4.5mag az:217.8° SW h:80.0° Distance: 355.8km height above Earth: 352.0km elevation of sun: -12°
Disappears 22h05m08s -3.3mag az:133.0° SE h:23.3°
pw
That's obviously military time, correct? Couldn't be Universal time at our longitude and be in the evening.
Hi Chuck, Sorry about the delay in replying. The system is back in one of its phases where it blocks postings from reaching me until hours after posting. On 26 May 2009, at 16:14, Chuck Hards wrote:
That's obviously military time, correct?
Actually I like to think of it as 24 hour clock time (like most of the world uses) but it is the same thing as what USA calls military time. Heavens Above show a pretty nice pass this (Wednesday) evening: 28 May -2.1 21:16:32 10 WNW 21:19:25 67 SW 21:22:18 10 SE Cheers, patrick
Anyone see a flare during tonight's pass? I couldn't say for sure because I was observing from a typically overlit parking lot but it looked like ISS brightened noticeably just before passing into the terminator. patrick On 26 May 2009, at 15:23, Patrick Wiggins wrote:
From SpaceWeather. Of possible interest for tonight's pass:
Space Weather News for May 26, 2009 http://spaceweather.com
SPACE STATION FLARES: Lately, a growing number of observers are reporting intense "flares" coming from the International Space Station (ISS). During some nighttime flybys, the luminosity of the space station surges 10-fold or more. Some people have witnessed flares of magnitude -8 or twenty-five times brighter than Venus. A movie featured on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com shows what is happening: sunlight glints from the station's recently expanded solar arrays in a shadow-casting flash. Currently, the flares are unpredictable. You watch a flyby not knowing if one will happen or how bright it might be. That's what makes the hunt for "ISS flares" so much fun.
Sky watchers in North America should be alert for flares this week. The ISS is making a series of evening passes over many US and Canadian towns and cities. Flyby times are available from the Simple Satellite Tracker: http://spaceweather.com/flybys
I was on the computer wrestling with some files at the time, and it slipped my mind, darnit. What you saw makes sense if you imagine the geometry. You and the sun are on the same side of the solar panel array just before ISS slips into shadow. Maximum surface area presented toward you and the sun. On Tue, May 26, 2009 at 10:32 PM, Patrick Wiggins <paw@wirelessbeehive.com>wrote:
Anyone see a flare during tonight's pass?
I couldn't say for sure because I was observing from a typically overlit parking lot but it looked like ISS brightened noticeably just before passing into the terminator.
I watched the pass from Sugarhouse and observed the brightening for about 4 to 5 seconds or so before it disappeared into the terminator. I'd estimate the flare at it's brightest to be magnitude -6 but possibly a bit brighter. The best pass I've ever seen. Thanks Patrick for the heads up. Dave Bennett On May 26, 2009, at 10:32 PM, Patrick Wiggins wrote:
Anyone see a flare during tonight's pass?
I couldn't say for sure because I was observing from a typically overlit parking lot but it looked like ISS brightened noticeably just before passing into the terminator.
patrick
On 26 May 2009, at 15:23, Patrick Wiggins wrote:
From SpaceWeather. Of possible interest for tonight's pass:
Space Weather News for May 26, 2009 http://spaceweather.com
SPACE STATION FLARES: Lately, a growing number of observers are reporting intense "flares" coming from the International Space Station (ISS). During some nighttime flybys, the luminosity of the space station surges 10-fold or more. Some people have witnessed flares of magnitude -8 or twenty-five times brighter than Venus. A movie featured on today's edition of http:// spaceweather.com shows what is happening: sunlight glints from the station's recently expanded solar arrays in a shadow-casting flash. Currently, the flares are unpredictable. You watch a flyby not knowing if one will happen or how bright it might be. That's what makes the hunt for "ISS flares" so much fun.
Sky watchers in North America should be alert for flares this week. The ISS is making a series of evening passes over many US and Canadian towns and cities. Flyby times are available from the Simple Satellite Tracker: http://spaceweather.com/flybys
participants (3)
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Chuck Hards -
Dave Bennett -
Patrick Wiggins