STS-122: Atlantis and ISS Viewing (In Mission)

• #20 by ETEE on 08 Feb, 2008 22:18
• A good pass also refers to the magnitude or brightness of the space station.  Today's was -2.4 which is really bright and it helps if the object is overhead (as it was).  Negative numbers are brighter.  Heavens-Above can be customised to your local position for York predictions.  Try this http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=25544&lat=53.956&lng=-1.093&loc=York&alt=11&tz=GMT  Your best day is tomorrow (Saturday).
  
  London viewing is as follows
  
  Day/Magnitude/Time of max altitude GMT
  9 Feb -2.5 18:16  
  10 Feb -2.4 18:37
  11 Feb -2.4 17:23  
  11 Feb -1.6 18:57  
  12 Feb -2.3 17:43
  12 Feb -0.5 19:18
  13 Feb -1.6 18:04
  
   
  
• #21 by ntschke on 08 Feb, 2008 22:43

• Quote

  Steve B - 8/2/2008 5:58 PM

  Quote

  Chris Bergin - 8/2/2008 10:16 PM Steve, I struggle to read what's a good pass or not.

  I'm with you on that Chris... when I say "good" I was really referring to the fact we're [hopefully] expecting clear skies tomorrow evening, which is a fine start, and it's fairly high in the sky. In York however ISS will be lower in the Sky, from HSF (Human Space Flight) the details are... 18:15 GMT; Max Elev 52 deg, approach 31 above WSW to 20 above ESE dep. I will also take a look at 'heavens-above' ...anyone have any further info?

  I've used Heavens Above exslusively since I found out about it.  Set your digital watch to realtime (down to the second) and you will see it from your location right next to the star/constellation as predicted in the detail chart.  You can also save multiple locations for viewing while out of town etc. 

  A "Good" pass is usually one that reaches higher than say 15 degrees and tends to fly close to "overhead".  The higher up and the closer to sunrise/suset the better.  Also look at the Mag listed.  Anything in the negatives (-1.4 ex) is bright and you will not confuse it with anything else in the sky.  The best passes are when the vehicles are "chasing" each other.  Once I got lucky and saw 2 passes, the first docked, 90 minutes later, undocked and 2 seperate bright "stars".  (I'll try to dig up a great video someone took of a double-pass from last year...) 

  Awesome sight to see.

• #22 by Steve B on 08 Feb, 2008 22:57
• Many thanks for the info etee and ntschke. Unfortunately I missed seeing Atlantis seperate today, but looking forward to seeing the pass tomorrow!
• #23 by Chris Bergin on 08 Feb, 2008 23:00
• Excellent. Thanks!
• #24 by Avron on 08 Feb, 2008 23:01
• If you live in NE USA time to get outside.. three vehicles passing overhead - approx 2 mins passes
  
  
  Its overcast here in Toronto...
• #25 by ShuttleDiscovery on 09 Feb, 2008 16:23
• Clear skies over most of UK tonight, so the 6:11pm passover should be a good one!
  
   
• #26 by CommanderAce on 09 Feb, 2008 17:20
• Now that was one of the brightest passes I've ever seen! Beautiful!
• #27 by Spiff on 09 Feb, 2008 17:22
• Yesterday 2 beautiful passes of first ISS and then Atlantis from here in the Netherlands.
  
  Today just a few minutes ago an even better pass about half an hour after docking. Very bright and although I couldn't make out any detail in my binoculars, it was definately not a dot!
  
  
• #28 by spaceamillion on 09 Feb, 2008 17:22
• Quote

  CommanderAce - 9/2/2008  12:20 PM
  
  Now that was one of the brightest passes I've ever seen! Beautiful!

  
  Also very bright from oop north !! :laugh:
• #29 by CommanderAce on 09 Feb, 2008 17:24
• Quote

  spaceamillion - 9/2/2008  6:22 PM Also very bright from oop north !! :laugh:

  
  Just wish I had my 6" telescope setup! :frown:
  
• #30 by paulhbell07 on 09 Feb, 2008 17:26
• A lot brighter than the last time I saw ISS. That was a few years ago. Wonderful sight, flew right past the seven sisters. I wish I had my old camera.
• #31 by ETEE on 09 Feb, 2008 17:30
• Another great view of the ISS from London tonight.  I'm waiting for some passers by to ask what we're looking at.  My 84 year old mother thought it was the most exciting thing she's seen and I am now being bombarded with questions like "why is it so bright" and "how fast is it going"?
• #32 by Jones36 on 09 Feb, 2008 17:31
• No chance of a sighting for me until the 13th.
• #33 by ShuttleDiscovery on 09 Feb, 2008 17:31
• I found tonight's flyover NOT as bright as last night. I could still see it clearly but last night was bigger.
  
  Any advice on how to see it better? I've tried taking pictures on my didgital camera but they come out as squiggles in the pictures because the camera isn't perfectly still in my hands! I'm thinking of getting some binoculars so I can see it better...  
• #34 by paulhbell07 on 09 Feb, 2008 17:35
• I have 10x50 binoc's, I could see no detail. Next buy is a telescope.
• #35 by astrobrian on 09 Feb, 2008 22:32
• The OMS issue may be a blessing in disguise for me as the best night for magnatude here would be the day after undocking. Now, with it looking like maybe an extra day on orbit possibly, just gotta keep the clouds away. Will post pics if it happens
• #36 by vt_hokie on 09 Feb, 2008 23:10
• Now, aren't you all glad they went with 51.6 deg inclination over 28.5 deg?   :laugh:
• #37 by ShuttleDiscovery on 10 Feb, 2008 10:47
• Quote

  vt_hokie - 9/2/2008  12:10 AM
  
  Now, aren't you all glad they went with 51.6 deg inclination over 28.5 deg?   :laugh:

  
  VERY!
• #38 by ntschke on 10 Feb, 2008 11:35

• Quote

  ShuttleDiscovery - 9/2/2008 1:31 PM I found tonight's flyover NOT as bright as last night. I could still see it clearly but last night was bigger. Any advice on how to see it better? I've tried taking pictures on my didgital camera but they come out as squiggles in the pictures because the camera isn't perfectly still in my hands! I'm thinking of getting some binoculars so I can see it better...

  Depending on the digital camera you should have a shutter speed control (unless its a "point-n-shoot"), set that to something like 15 seconds or even bulb exposure.  Then set the the timer to 10 seconds.  Put it on a tripod with a wide angle view of the expected path of travel.  When you first see it, press the shutter  (timer will allow for the vibrations to stop) and you should get a nice trail in the exposure of the flyover-see link below.

  To see it live you need a powerful zoom lens and a steady hand to see anything more than a bright shape.  If you've got one, most of the newer GO-TO telescopes can be uploaded with the current orbital elements for the ISS/Shuttle and you can watch/video/shoot it through the scope.

  I've seen some amazing pictures people have taken in telescopes, detailed to the point of being able to see the shuttle not only docked but clearly see the 3 main engines.

  Check out http://spaceweather.com/ it has some great user-submitted pics of recent flyovers right now...

• #39 by Zephon907 on 10 Feb, 2008 16:54
• Looks to me like you guys are pros at viewings.  I've only seen it one time, a couple of missions ago, not sure which one.  But, it's an awesome sight to behold; it was so much brighter than Venus.  I drove out to a relatively dark (away from city lights) location overlooking a lake and was able to view it for about two minutes.  Another car full of people stopped by just to view the lake and I pointed out the STS/ISS to them.  Boy, were they amazed.  What I find interesting is that it doesn't just come up over the horizon like other celestial objects, but "fades" into view as it comes out (I assume) of the earth's shadow, and then fades out of view.
  
  Next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I should have some good viewing opportunities with durations of 3, 4, & 2 minutes respectively.  I sure hope the weather cooperates.