11-17-2008, 05:43 AM
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Founder, WildTexas.com
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 1,526
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Space Shuttle & ISS
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The following was written by Becky Ramotowski and appeared in the San Antonio Express-News for November 17, 2008; the article can be found online.
Quote:
Sky Watch: Planets aren't the only bright spots in the sky
Peek outside any night this week and you will be treated to an amazing sight.
The International Space Station makes a very nice pass Monday around 7 p.m. Gaze toward the southwest and locate Venus as a brilliant spotlight in Sagittarius. You can't miss Venus. It's crazy bright and will practically jump out of the sky after sundown.
The ISS will appear below Venus and will continue on a path that leads it above Jupiter and then almost directly overhead. The pass is brief and only lasts three minutes, but it's a thrilling sight.
It is possible to see the space shuttle Endeavor dock with the ISS this week. The crew of Endeavor will help outfit the ISS into a five-bedroom, two-bath residence for six astronauts. Its current three-bedroom, one-bathroom configuration houses three astronauts, so this mission is like an extreme home improvement project. (Check SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids or go to Human Space Flight (HSF) - Realtime Data for updates.)
If you happen to be gazing at the sky from a location near downtown, watch for an Iridium satellite flare at 6:55 p.m. Tuesday. The flare will gradually brighten and then fade quickly from sight. It's important to be gazing 34 degrees above the southern horizon at the correct time.
The ISS will make two passes Tuesday evening.
The first sighting opportunity is low and starts at 5:51 p.m. in the south. It ends in the east-northeast at 5:56 p.m. The sky may be too bright to locate it, but that's not a problem since we have another chance to admire it 90 minutes later.
The encore opportunity for the evening brings the station from the west at 7:27 p.m. This pass is short and low, but the sky will be darker so it should be easier to snag. Gaze toward the west for a moving speck of light. It will fly to the northwest and fade from sight at 7:28 p.m.
Early-bird sky gazers will be treated to a Hubble Space Telescope pass Wednesday morning. The HST will appear from the west just above Orion at 5:33 a.m. It will fly eastward, or to the left if you're facing south, and then skim just below the shrinking moon at 5:34 a.m. It will scoot above Saturn just after 5:35 a.m. and vanish in the east around 5:39 a.m.
The Pleiades open star cluster appears fuzzy and faint and can be located in a low spot setting in the west Wednesday while you're out admiring the HST. The small cluster is detectable with the naked eye, and binoculars coax a breathtaking treasure chest of jewels into view.
Saturn sits below the tail of Leo the lion and should be studied since the rings are headed toward an edge-on appearance later next year. Things happen slowly for Saturn; so watching the rings disappear will be an ongoing topic as they change in apparent tilt. Saturn looks like a blobby star in binoculars; so it's best to appreciate it with higher magnification in a telescope.
If you missed the ISS on Tuesday, Wednesday brings another chance to spot it.
The midweek pass lasts five minutes and slices the sky in half. Begin watching at 6:17 p.m. above Venus in the southwest for a moving shiny speck of light. The station will continue its trek high toward the northwest and will fly through Cygnus the swan at 6:19 p.m. The spectacular show will end at 6:22 p.m. when the station fades from view in the northeast.
The moon reaches last-quarter phase midweek and rises after midnight. Last-quarter phase is ideal for early evening viewing since the sky is free of lunar glare.
Thursday evening brings the ISS and the docked shuttle Endeavor into view at 6:44 p.m. from the west. It will be low, so an unobstructed view will be essential for spying it. It will fly toward the northwest and skim a scant 16 degrees above the horizon before fading from view in the north at 6:47 p.m.
Friday and Saturday nights are perfect for Venus and Jupiter watching. The pair is closing in on each other and makes a scene-stealing sight.
Early risers watching from near downtown will find an Iridium satellite flare event glinting brightly above Leo at 6:33 a.m. Nov. 23.
The moon will be high in the east, and Saturn will be below Leo's tail.
E-mail Becky Ramotowski at Skywatch@beckster.cotse.net. Skywatch appears Mondays.
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