International Space Station

Anyone else watching for the ISS? There was an excellent view of it earlier this evening offshore. Saw it nearly horizon to horizon, lasting about 45 to 60 seconds. It was fun to see. Brighter than the brightest planet, and moving right along.

Here are a couple of good web sites to track it:

http://iss.astroviewer.net/

http://www.isstracker.com/

Very interesting, thanks for posting it.

yea, I can’t figure out why it’s so bright… is it the panels or the white paint that reflect? the panels are suppose to absorb/use the light. It sure moves right along!

The ISS is only visible when the sun is reflecting off of it. Those times are about 45 - 60 minutes before sunrise, or 45 -60 minutes after sunset. It will fade out of sight while still above the horizon as it passes into the earth’s shadow.

That is a good time to see other satellites, too. There were a couple of them visible last night in a polar orbit that we saw while waiting for the ISS to appear.

Not sure why it is so bright - that is above my pay grade. But the other visible satellites have to be much smaller than the ISS, but they can still be seen when the light is right.

Hope y’all have a chance to see it!

Did not see these latest passes but did a few years ago. We were hanging at the marina when someone spotted it and called it out. The whole place was transfixed, then erupted in spontaneous applause when it disappeared.

Impressive indeed.

Nowadays, turning a pessimist, I don’t figure people look ‘up’ like they did when JFK explained why ‘‘we go to the moon’’.
I’m glad jetryder was around people who found spotting the station something to appreciate. I can only hope such a attitude endures to carry us through the current BS going on at the world stage.