Author Topic: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread  (Read 33083 times)

Offline Andrewwski

  • Parrothead
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1543
  • Buffalo, NY
  • Liked: 13
  • Likes Given: 0
STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« on: 05/31/2008 09:54 pm »
Looks like at least the northeastern US will have very good nighttime sighting opportunities for this mission...starting tonight!
NEW MUSIC VIDEO:
STS-125 DREAMS in HD!

Offline trebloc

  • Member
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 109
  • Go for launch!
  • Ireland
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 12
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #1 on: 06/01/2008 11:20 am »
Last night just 17 minutes after the launch of Discovery she was visible moving from the Southwest to the Southeast from my home in southern Ireland. What a sight! Discovery was a very bright white moving point just over an equally bright orange point {the tank} as they moved throiugh the clear twilight sky. UI have seen the shuttle and station many times passing overhead but this was the best. What a sight!!
« Last Edit: 06/01/2008 01:46 pm by Chris Bergin »
A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism.
Carl Sagan,

Offline astrobrian

  • NSF Photographer
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2922
  • Austin Texas
  • Liked: 23
  • Likes Given: 112
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #2 on: 06/01/2008 03:16 pm »
If the sky cooperates I should be able to get pics of a few passes this flight :)  the 8th being the best of the lot

Offline Andrewwski

  • Parrothead
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1543
  • Buffalo, NY
  • Liked: 13
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #3 on: 06/01/2008 04:38 pm »
I caught one dimmer pass last night around 10 PM (EDT).  First station then shuttle about 5 mins later.  Not too bad as it wasn't even totally dark yet.  I had a bright one scheduled for about 11, but the clouds rolled in.  Still, I think it's the earliest I've ever seen a shuttle pass after launch.
« Last Edit: 06/01/2008 11:50 pm by Andrewwski »
NEW MUSIC VIDEO:
STS-125 DREAMS in HD!

Offline robertross

  • Canadian Member
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 17939
  • Westphal, Nova Scotia
  • Liked: 659
  • Likes Given: 7688
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #4 on: 06/02/2008 12:15 am »
22 minutes before I get my first chance to see them...
Typical overcast here usually (and predicted today)...but they were wrong again  :)  Clear blue skies this afternoon and looks clear out there now...21 minutes...

Offline robertross

  • Canadian Member
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 17939
  • Westphal, Nova Scotia
  • Liked: 659
  • Likes Given: 7688
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #5 on: 06/02/2008 12:45 am »
uuughhhhhh....I can't believe it!  Within 15 minutes the whole place socked in with fog. Dang nab it...I keep missing the space race.
Is it so much to ask to see one bright shiny dot in the sky trying to get to another bright shiny dot in the sky???

I got one more chance tonight (1 min), but I won't hold my breath...

Offline Andrewwski

  • Parrothead
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1543
  • Buffalo, NY
  • Liked: 13
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #6 on: 06/02/2008 02:30 am »
Just caught a nice one here.  Bright, and the first time I've ever seen the ISS flicker as it fades out.  Not unheard of though, from what I've read.

Tried to catch some pictures but they didn't come out too well.
NEW MUSIC VIDEO:
STS-125 DREAMS in HD!

Offline Jones36

  • Member
  • Member
  • Posts: 92
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #7 on: 06/02/2008 03:53 am »
Nothing tonight for me nearly missed the sighting time. Oh well maybe tomorrow.

Offline robertross

  • Canadian Member
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 17939
  • Westphal, Nova Scotia
  • Liked: 659
  • Likes Given: 7688
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #8 on: 06/03/2008 01:29 am »
Well it wasn't the viewing I wanted (separate entities), but it was finally beautiful out tonight in Nova Scotia to see it slowly move across the sky. I have to tip my hat those who put together the sightings page...right on the money. Awesome.
Now we can hope to see them separating...:)

Offline Andrewwski

  • Parrothead
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1543
  • Buffalo, NY
  • Liked: 13
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #9 on: 06/03/2008 02:45 am »
Awesome pass just a few minutes ago...nice and long, magnitude -1.1 according to Heavens-Above.  Again, I noticed a flicker at some points during the pass.
NEW MUSIC VIDEO:
STS-125 DREAMS in HD!

Offline Prodigychild

  • Member
  • Posts: 2
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #10 on: 06/03/2008 08:20 pm »
Hi

I'm a curious Dane searching for an answer.

Does anyone know (I have searched and searched since sunday) where to find some tracking history for STS-124's first 3 hours around eath after lift-off.

I was standing on my porch having a cigarette around midnight saturday night the 31th of May in Copenhagen, Denmark, EU looking south. Suddenly a light came from east going west taking about 1-2 minutes, it went a lot faster than an ordinary plane and I think it was too bright to be a satellite.

So I like to find a place where I can confirm either it was STS-124 or not. Can someone help me please???
« Last Edit: 06/03/2008 08:21 pm by Prodigychild »

Offline Jorge

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6404
  • Liked: 529
  • Likes Given: 67
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #11 on: 06/03/2008 08:31 pm »
Hi

I'm a curious Dane searching for an answer.

Does anyone know (I have searched and searched since sunday) where to find some tracking history for STS-124's first 3 hours around eath after lift-off.

I was standing on my porch having a cigarette around midnight saturday night the 31th of May in Copenhagen, Denmark, EU looking south. Suddenly a light came from east going west taking about 1-2 minutes, it went a lot faster than an ordinary plane and I think it was too bright to be a satellite.

So I like to find a place where I can confirm either it was STS-124 or not. Can someone help me please???

Sighting a spacecraft requires nighttime on the ground but sunlight on the spacecraft, which restricts sightings to the hours just before sunrise and after sunset.

If it was around midnight local time, it could not have been STS-124 or any other spacecraft.

JRF

Offline Prodigychild

  • Member
  • Posts: 2
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #12 on: 06/03/2008 08:38 pm »
Thanks for the answer.... But the sun goes down here i DK around 22.20 at the moment, don't know if it is possible then.

But thanks again

Offline zappafrank

  • Member
  • Member
  • Posts: 76
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 3
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #13 on: 06/04/2008 03:33 am »
We got to remember, June, Midnight in Denmark is just a few hours after sunset.

I did June in Iceland once, never got dark, it was fantastic!

Offline Jorge

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6404
  • Liked: 529
  • Likes Given: 67
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #14 on: 06/04/2008 03:55 am »
We got to remember, June, Midnight in Denmark is just a few hours after sunset.


Ah, good point. I didn't think Denmark was *that* far north, but it's far enough north that sunsets are really late in summer.
JRF

Offline astrobrian

  • NSF Photographer
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2922
  • Austin Texas
  • Liked: 23
  • Likes Given: 112
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #15 on: 06/04/2008 06:09 am »
Hi

I'm a curious Dane searching for an answer.

Does anyone know (I have searched and searched since sunday) where to find some tracking history for STS-124's first 3 hours around eath after lift-off.

I was standing on my porch having a cigarette around midnight saturday night the 31th of May in Copenhagen, Denmark, EU looking south. Suddenly a light came from east going west taking about 1-2 minutes, it went a lot faster than an ordinary plane and I think it was too bright to be a satellite.

So I like to find a place where I can confirm either it was STS-124 or not. Can someone help me please???
You can also go to www.heavens-above.com to go back in time on the passes for your area and see what was floating by in that area and heading

Offline Spiff

  • Veteran
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 716
  • Utrecht - The Netherlands
  • Liked: 28
  • Likes Given: 3
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #16 on: 06/04/2008 07:43 am »
I can't say if what Prodigychild saw was or was not STS-124. But I can confirm that it is possible to see satellites at the time he described. I've seen ISS pass on June 2nd at 23:55, and I'm in the Netherlands which is further south, so it gets dark earlier than Copenhagen this time of year.

Yesterday I saw ISS/Discovery pass together at just about the moment of Kibo unberthing from the payload bay. I managed to take a photo too! Ok, it's not nearly the quality as SatcomUK's brilliant pictures, but I KNOW what that white dash across the sky is, and I KNOW Kibo was about to be unberthed. That's enough for me.
:D
I always consider space to be the FIRST frontier.

Offline Ford Mustang

  • Live Coverage Editor
  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12473
  • Virginia
    • Astro95Media
  • Liked: 375
  • Likes Given: 36
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #17 on: 06/06/2008 02:10 am »
Wow.

All I can say.  Saw a nice -1.2 magnitude pass tonight..  Stunning.  Watched it raise over the horizon, and then saw it fade to Orbital Sunset and eventually into Orbital Night.  Tomorrow is going to be spectacular, will get a -2.3 magnitude pass..

Just amazing, the station has grown so much brighter than just a year ago.

Offline Bubbinski

Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #18 on: 06/06/2008 06:50 am »
I caught the ISS/Discovery complex tonight in the western sky.  And for good measure, I even nailed it in my telescope - I parked the 4.5 inch Skyquest XT Dob next to Regulus and caught ISS zipping through the eyepiece at 46x.  It zipped by pretty fast but I could see hints of structure - perhaps the orbiter delta wing shape. 
I'll even excitedly look forward to "flags and footprints" and suborbital missions. Just fly...somewhere.

Offline satcomuk

  • Member
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 185
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: STS-124: Discovery and ISS Sightings Thread
« Reply #19 on: 06/06/2008 05:44 pm »
I had no chance of seeing the recent evening passes over the UK due to cloudy conditions.....but yesterday decided to have a look at the station in daylight

At a range of just short of 400km , imaging it wasn't easy , especially as it was not visible , even through the viewfinder . So it was a matter of zoning in on a pinpoint in the sky and waiting for the target to pass by !
FOV was about 6 arc minutes.

You can see the result at
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/satcom_transits/daylight.html

John


Tags:
 

Advertisement NovaTech
Advertisement Northrop Grumman
Advertisement
Advertisement Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island
Advertisement Brady Kenniston
Advertisement NextSpaceflight
Advertisement Nathan Barker Photography
0