International Space Station Overhead tonight - twice

wez130 · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:00

Berserker said:
Slight problem - you forgot about altitude.

The shuttle catches ISS by using a lower (closer to the earth) orbit, thereby being on an arc with a smaller circumference. I haven't done the maths, but it's entirely possible (indeed probable) that the shuttle is moving slower than ISS in pure mph terms.

Missed the first pass. I expect this area is too built up to catch the second, but I'll give it a go.

that perspective, seems more realistic

lukechad · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:05

im sure i just saw a really bright light moving, i wasnt the only one to see it but its gone??? probably a shooting star???

wez130 · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:05

it's just going over ireland now

seaviewuk · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:09

Due to the low elevation, it wasn't possible to see it here in Brighton due to the city lighting.

Larnica · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:09

Mhm, its <1 minutes in most places I believe so might be hard to spot

Droolinggimp · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:10

lukechad said:
im sure i just saw a really bright light moving, i wasnt the only one to see it but its gone??? probably a shooting star???

If you at the location in your Avatar then yes you did see it. Not as long at earlier or as bright but you saw it.

Larnica said:
Mhm, its <1 minutes in most places I believe so might be hard to spot

I saw it for only a few seconds, very low to the Horizon too.

PhatPhish · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:12

Couldn't see it

caeteez · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:12

I couldnt see it this time from Surrey. Will tomorrows it be like tonights 22:58 sighting?

lukechad · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:14

droolinggimp said:
If you at the location in your Avatar then yes you did see it. Not as long at earlier or as bright but you saw it.

I saw it for only a few seconds, very low to the Horizon too.

Thats why i was confused the light 2 of us saw was travelling south to north and was straight above us for a matter of 5 seconds before it appeared to dissappear behind clouds, but there are no clouds?

n3crius · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:16

caeteez said:
I couldnt see it this time from Surrey. Will tomorrows it be like tonights 22:58 sighting?

That's where I'm based. Too cloudy + sodium to the low south sky for me tonight.

seaviewuk · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:16

caeteez said:
I couldnt see it this time from Surrey. Will tomorrows it be like tonights 22:58 sighting?

Yes. Pretty much. Depending on cloud cover

Droolinggimp · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:16

lukechad said:
Thats why i was confused the light 2 of us saw was travelling south to north and was straight above us for a matter of 5 seconds before it appeared to dissappear behind clouds, but there are no clouds?

It ran out of light due to the sun being further around the earth compared to the first sighting tonight. Or something like that.

Spunj99 · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:18

Saw something for a split second at 00:05, must have been it. Shame there was so much light polution to the south.

GreenMint · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:19

Saw them from Leicester for 3-4 minutes, looked fantastic

So wierd seeing a light in the sky, knowing that people are alive in that light!

lukechad · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:20

Spunj99 said:
Saw something for a split second at 00:05, must have been it. Shame there was so much light polution to the south.

Yeh that would have been the one, thought I was going damn crazy!

seaviewuk · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:22

lukechad said:
Yeh that would have been the one, thought I was going damn crazy!

Go to bed, you have work in the morning!

wez130 · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:23

it wouldn't have been going south to north, it was travelling north west west to south east east and would have been low on the horizon at 12.06am

there is a meteor shower going on for the next few days though, i saw a couple of shooting stars myself earlier, ISS is not that fast lol.

lukechad · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:23

seaviewuk said:
Go to bed, you have work in the morning!

Yes boss!

I will be checking back tomorrow evening after work to find out when it can be viewed again

Droolinggimp · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:24

You lot need to go out one night when its clear to the country side.. You can see 10 times as many stars. Plus you will see lots and I mean LOTS of satellites flying about the night sky. I have seen at least 6-8 tonight juts looking around.

Everynow and then when my Tscope is set up and im looking at the moon or other planets, I get one zoom past my viewfinder.. pretty weird.

seaviewuk · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:26

droolinggimp said:
You lot need to go out one night when its clear to the country side.. You can see 10 times as many stars. Plus you will see lots and I mean LOTS of satellites flying about the night sky. I have seen at least 6-8 tonight juts looking around.

Everynow and then when my Tscope is set up and im looking at the moon or other planets, I get one zoom past my viewfinder.. pretty weird.

Good idea! Trouble is I don't like going into the countryside at night by myself!

Maybe we should arrange an OCUK Star Party

then you can show me Uranus.