ISS spotted

[Mark R]

I was out for a random evening walk yesterday, when I happened to see the ISS rolling by.

I'd seen it before, but only because I knew when and where to look and had planned the viewing.

I thought that was a spot of good luck. Do I get a wish?

 

[Pocatello]

I was out for a random evening walk yesterday, when I happened to see the ISS rolling by.

I'd seen it before, but only because I knew when and where to look and had planned the viewing.

I thought that was a spot of good luck. Do I get a wish?

That's cool, the place I live is way too bright to see anything really well except the moon and Venus. Also you have to know what to look for, I'm clueless.

 

[Drako]

http://www.isstracker.com/

 

[DrPizza]

How'd you know it was the ISS and not some other satellite?

 

[Pocatello]

How'd you know it was the ISS and not some other satellite?

The astronauts were waving as the ISS passed over.

 

[Mark R]

There aren't many other satellites that are way brighter than Venus.

Plus I looked it up on isstracker when I got home.

 

[silverpig]

I had a similar experience a few years ago at my wife's parents' place. I was sitting outside on the deck at night and this super bright satellite flew overhead. It was much brighter than Venus, so I figured it must have been the ISS. I checked online and it was.

That's cool, the place I live is way too bright to see anything really well except the moon and Venus. Also you have to know what to look for, I'm clueless.

The ISS is brighter than Venus, so you should be able to see it.

How'd you know it was the ISS and not some other satellite?

It's pretty obvious when you see how bright it is. Also, there are tracking websites so you can confirm.

 

[Red Squirrel]

It's pretty cool to look up and see that, and think that there's actually people up there looking down on earth.

When it's summer I usually try to go check it out if it's not raining.

I have a 1600mm lens on the way I can't wait to use it for that. Though it will probably be hard to get a good pic considering it's moving pretty quick and can't really do a long exposure.

There's also a few very bright satellites but they don't show up for as long. It's like a bright flash in the sky. Kinda like a falling star.

 

[silverpig]

It's pretty cool to look up and see that, and think that there's actually people up there looking down on earth.

When it's summer I usually try to go check it out if it's not raining.

I have a 1600mm lens on the way I can't wait to use it for that. Though it will probably be hard to get a good pic considering it's moving pretty quick and can't really do a long exposure.

There's also a few very bright satellites but they don't show up for as long. It's like a bright flash in the sky. Kinda like a falling star.

Those are the Iridium satellites. I've looked for them and have used the tracker websites, but haven't seen one yet.

 

[JEDIYoda]

actually it was ET returning for the cell phone he left at McDonalds....

 

[zanemoseley]

If you go here you can look up your city and it will show the possible times to see it.

http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/sightings/index.cfm#.U020x1e9bn0

 

[sa7an1]

i saw the last shuttle ISS encounter from my back yard.. i mean to say i saw the glowing spec thats the ISS go across the sky then a sew seconds later i saw the glowing spec that was the shuttle go by in its race to catch up. either way was pretty damn cool

 

[JulesMaximus]

I've seen it before too. It is pretty cool to see it glinting in the sunlight as it goes speeding by.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Those are the Iridium satellites. I've looked for them and have used the tracker websites, but haven't seen one yet.

Yep that's the ones, could not remember the name. First one I saw was last year. Was using an app to track it and saw it, it's literally like 1-2 seconds.

What's incredible too is how accurate these apps can be.

 

[Ichinisan]

I love the AR mode in the iOS-exclusive Sky Guide app. It can identify specific man-made satellites.

 

[disappoint]

I have a 1600mm lens on the way I can't wait to use it for that. Though it will probably be hard to get a good pic considering it's moving pretty quick and can't really do a long exposure.

That 1600mm lens will be great for a lot of photos, like of the moon for example, but as you said the ISS will be moving too fast. I think it will be bright enough you won't need a long exposure though. A wide angle lens will be better than telephoto considering it's speed. Crank the ISO up as high as you can without getting noisy and use a wide f-stop below 4. Maybe 2.8?

 

[Paladin3]

My friend has a ski-in/ski-out condo on top of Schweitzer Mountain in North Idaho. At night the sky is fantastic for star viewing. One spring night about 11pm, we saw some kind of very bright satellite moving across the sky headed roughly southeast to northwest. I have no idea what is was, but I suspect it was the ISS.

 

[Paratus]

Best viewing with the naked eye I ever had, was after the shuttle had undocked and ATV was chasing for a docking so we got to see all three vehicles one right after each other.

I'm proud to say I helped deploy 6 of the 8 arrays on the ISS that make it so bright.

 

[JMapleton]

I spot it almost every night I go telescoping. It's no big deal.

 

[Slick Mcflicken]

I was out for a random evening walk yesterday, when I happened to see the ISS rolling by.

I'd seen it before, but only because I knew when and where to look and had planned the viewing.

I thought that was a spot of good luck. Do I get a wish?

Hellz ya you deserve a wish, plus it's actually damn cool to witness first hand. I have seen it twice and it is especially cool to watch. Like a big bright satellite, which now we know what it is.

 

[SsupernovaE]

Best viewing with the naked eye I ever had, was after the shuttle had undocked and ATV was chasing for a docking so we got to see all three vehicles one right after each other.

I'm proud to say I helped deploy 6 of the 8 arrays on the ISS that make it so bright.

How's the mood at Mission Control since NASA announced it will not be collaborating with Russia on anything save for the ISS?

 

[Paratus]

How's the mood at Mission Control since NASA announced it will not be collaborating with Russia on anything save for the ISS?

For us it's basically business as normal. We're still training and flying with the Russians. Both control centers will continue to make sure the crew flies safely. While we need them for Soyuz seats, they need us to provide power.

We actually went through this back in 08 when they invaded Georgia.

Anyway a new crew was just launched so we have some time for things to work out.

 

[DrPizza]

I had a similar experience a few years ago at my wife's parents' place. I was sitting outside on the deck at night and this super bright satellite flew overhead. It was much brighter than Venus, so I figured it must have been the ISS. I checked online and it was.



The ISS is brighter than Venus, so you should be able to see it.



It's pretty obvious when you see how bright it is. Also, there are tracking websites so you can confirm.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh. Now I feel like an idiot. I can't tell you how many times I've seen that, never considered that it could be a satellite, and just figured it was a helicopter at a relatively high altitude with its landing light on. As soon as I read that, it was like a big bulb going off in my head. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

 

[Paratus]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh. Now I feel like an idiot. I can't tell you how many times I've seen that, never considered that it could be a satellite, and just figured it was a helicopter at a relatively high altitude with its landing light on. As soon as I read that, it was like a big bulb going off in my head. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

It's actually big enough these days that it's almost not a point light source anymore.