How to see the Space Station pass overhead

[dragonrider]

Have you ever watched the International Space Station pass overhead? I've seen it several times. It looks like a star moving across the sky. Often it is very bright, almost as bright as Venus. If you have ever seen a satelite, the ISS is generally much brighter than most other satelites you can see. Usually you have to get out of the city to see a regular satelite, but the ISS is often visible from the city on a clear night.

When the Space Shuttle is visiting the Space Station, it usually spends a day or two to catch up to the space station, and it is sort of amazing to see both of them passing overhead, one bright star following another.

This website tells you when and where to look to see the Space Station, and other big, bright satelites like the Hubble Space Telescope: Welcome to Heavens-Above (http://www.heavens-above.com/)

This might look like a long explanation but it is really very easy to do. You tell the site where you are --- it tells you where to look.


I usually use the site anonymously and select the Select your location from our huge database option.

On the Select Country screen, select the country where you will watch for the satelite.

On the Select Town screen, enter the city or town where you will watch for the satelite.

If more than one match comes up in the Town Search Results screen, select the right one from the list.

The Main Menu screen appears and shows you some summary info about the observing site you have selected and provides links to all the satelites you can get predictions for.
If you want predictions for the International Space Station, select ISS.
If the Sapce Shuttle is up and you want predictions for it, select STS-###. (That's space transportation system and mission number)
If you want predictions for the Hubble Space Telescope, select HST.
There are several other satelites you can select as well.
The next screen shows the visible passes for the next ten days for the satelite you selected. I attached the screen I got when I selected the Space Station for my area.

Here's what the chart means:

I ran the predictions on the 8th, but you can see there are no visible passes until the 12th. Dang! This is because the angle of the orbit does not bring the station over my location at night at a time when it is still illuminated by the sun until then. It might still go directly overhead in the next few days, but it's either in the daytime, or late at night in the earth's shadow, when it cannot be seen.

The Mag column tells you how bright it is going to be. Small numbers are brighter. Negative numbers are brightest. The brightest pass on my chart is the Feb 16 pass with a mgnitude of -2.2

You have both the Start and End Times, so you can see how long the pass will last. Feb 16 is also a long pass, about 5 minutes.

You have both the Start and End Az (stands for azimuth, basically the direction), so you can see where it's going to start in the sky and where it is going to end. The Feb 16 pass, starts in the NW (North West) and ends in the SE (South East). Basically this pass starts at one side of the sky and ends at the opposite, so it goes almost directly overhead. That's why it is a long pass and why it is so bright.

The Max Altitude columns tell you how high in the sky it will get and when and where that will happen. Al stands for altitude and tells you the angle off the horizon --- 0 is on the horizon and 90 is straight overhead. The Feb 16 pass has a maximum altitude of 70 degrees, so it goes almost directly overhead.

So here's what I would do if I wanted to see the Feb 16 pass, which looks like a pretty good one for my location. (This is only for my location --- you need to run the chart for yourself to get accurate times an angles.) I'd make sure it was a clear night. Any haze will ruin it. It's possible to see it from my backyard, but if possible I'd go to a dark location with a broad view of the sky. And even better I'd bring a friend and a joint. The pass is starting at 18:39 (6:39 pm), so I'd want to be there early. There may still be twiligth then, but if it was dark, it would be good to let the eyes adjust to the darkness.

We'd smoke the joint and make idle chit chat for awhile. A few minutes before 6:39, I'd say, "Hey, have you ever seen the Space Station?"

They'd say, "What the hell are you talking about?"

I'd say, "The Space Station is coming up right over there at 6:39."

They'd say, "You're full of shit."

I'd start to look toward the north west scanning above the horizon for a moving "star." When it popped up, I'd say, "Wooooo-hoooo! There goes the freakin' Space Station!"

It's a fun trick.

Try it a few times before you decide to blow someone's mind just to be sure you know how it works. And make sure your watch is set for the exact time.

[Kryptonite24]

ehhh to much to read and do.lol
but cool anyways. might check it out later

[dragonrider]

ehhh to much to read and do.lol
but cool anyways. might check it out later

Lot to read, but not really much to do. It's is easy! I just wanted to give all the details, but it is really self-explanatory after you click the link.

Blow your freinds' minds!

[Kryptonite24]

lol yea
i think space stuff is sick though. i always wanted a telescope. it would be sick to see other planets with ur own eyes

[dragonrider]

lol yea
i think space stuff is sick though. i always wanted a telescope. it would be sick to see other planets with ur own eyes

Space is cool. I've got a pretty good telescope. Did you see my moon pics? http://boards.cannabis.com/science/141577-pictures-moon-i-took-through-my-telescope.html

[Coelho]

Hey Dragonrider! Thanks very much for this information! :thumbsup:
I already did see a lot of satellites cross the sky, but never thought about trying to see the ISS... dont know if it will be visible from my (south) hemisphere, anyway, i will look at the link you posted.
And i will look to the sky as soon the rain stops...

[dragonrider]

Hey Dragonrider! Thanks very much for this information! :thumbsup:
I already did see a lot of satellites cross the sky, but never thought about trying to see the ISS... dont know if it will be visible from my (south) hemisphere, anyway, i will look at the link you posted.
And i will look to the sky as soon the rain stops...

Coelho! Good to see you, man! You will definitly get some good passes. The orbit is inclined enough that there are very few places far enough north or south to not get at least some good views.

Another tip: Sometimes I like to bring my binoculars just to make it that much brigher. Looking at the sky throguh good binoculars is great.

[Funkmaster H.O.H.N.]

That would be pretty cool to see while high, I'm gonna have to check it out.

[beachguy in thongs]

Cool! Thanks!!!

[dragonrider]

There is a NASA site I used to use that does pretty much the same thing: J-Pass (http://science.nasa.gov/Realtime/JPass/)

It doesn't really work for me anymore on my browser, and I'm not sure why.

The only reason I mention it is because of the name: J-Pass! I imagine a bunch of NASA space geeks sittng around tracking satelites and passing a jay! Hahahah!

How did they ever get that one past the boss?

"We're thinking of calling it J-Pass."

"J-Pass, eh? Sounds A-OK to me boys!"

[Kryptonite24]

Space is cool. I've got a pretty good telescope. Did you see my moon pics? http://boards.cannabis.com/science/141577-pictures-moon-i-took-through-my-telescope.html

thats sick bro. i want a telescope lol

[Nightcrewman]

If you get yourself an amateur radio license you wont just be able to see the ISS you will be able to talk to the astronauts on board.
With a good pair of binoculars or a telescope you can actually make out the shape of the space stations solar wings, I don't have a telescope I use 16X50 bins the main problem is that when the sky is clear enough above Scotland to see the ISS then its bloody freezing cold and it's hard to focus on a small object when you are shivering.
I know I should put the bins on a tripod but that would be too easy wouldn't it LOL.

Cheers

NCM

[8182KSKUSH]

Have you ever watched the International Space Station pass overhead? I've seen it several times. It looks like a star moving across the sky. Often it is very bright, almost as bright as Venus. If you have ever seen a satelite, the ISS is generally much brighter than most other satelites you can see. Usually you have to get out of the city to see a regular satelite, but the ISS is often visible from the city on a clear night.

When the Space Shuttle is visiting the Space Station, it usually spends a day or two to catch up to the space station, and it is sort of amazing to see both of them passing overhead, one bright star following another.

This website tells you when and where to look to see the Space Station, and other big, bright satelites like the Hubble Space Telescope: Welcome to Heavens-Above (http://www.heavens-above.com/)

This might look like a long explanation but it is really very easy to do. You tell the site where you are --- it tells you where to look.


I usually use the site anonymously and select the Select your location from our huge database option.

On the Select Country screen, select the country where you will watch for the satelite.

On the Select Town screen, enter the city or town where you will watch for the satelite.

If more than one match comes up in the Town Search Results screen, select the right one from the list.

The Main Menu screen appears and shows you some summary info about the observing site you have selected and provides links to all the satelites you can get predictions for.
If you want predictions for the International Space Station, select ISS.
If the Sapce Shuttle is up and you want predictions for it, select STS-###. (That's space transportation system and mission number)
If you want predictions for the Hubble Space Telescope, select HST.
There are several other satelites you can select as well.
The next screen shows the visible passes for the next ten days for the satelite you selected. I attached the screen I got when I selected the Space Station for my area.

Here's what the chart means:

I ran the predictions on the 8th, but you can see there are no visible passes until the 12th. Dang! This is because the angle of the orbit does not bring the station over my location at night at a time when it is still illuminated by the sun until then. It might still go directly overhead in the next few days, but it's either in the daytime, or late at night in the earth's shadow, when it cannot be seen.

The Mag column tells you how bright it is going to be. Small numbers are brighter. Negative numbers are brightest. The brightest pass on my chart is the Feb 16 pass with a mgnitude of -2.2

You have both the Start and End Times, so you can see how long the pass will last. Feb 16 is also a long pass, about 5 minutes.

You have both the Start and End Az (stands for azimuth, basically the direction), so you can see where it's going to start in the sky and where it is going to end. The Feb 16 pass, starts in the NW (North West) and ends in the SE (South East). Basically this pass starts at one side of the sky and ends at the opposite, so it goes almost directly overhead. That's why it is a long pass and why it is so bright.

The Max Altitude columns tell you how high in the sky it will get and when and where that will happen. Al stands for altitude and tells you the angle off the horizon --- 0 is on the horizon and 90 is straight overhead. The Feb 16 pass has a maximum altitude of 70 degrees, so it goes almost directly overhead.

So here's what I would do if I wanted to see the Feb 16 pass, which looks like a pretty good one for my location. (This is only for my location --- you need to run the chart for yourself to get accurate times an angles.) I'd make sure it was a clear night. Any haze will ruin it. It's possible to see it from my backyard, but if possible I'd go to a dark location with a broad view of the sky. And even better I'd bring a friend and a joint. The pass is starting at 18:39 (6:39 pm), so I'd want to be there early. There may still be twiligth then, but if it was dark, it would be good to let the eyes adjust to the darkness.

We'd smoke the joint and make idle chit chat for awhile. A few minutes before 6:39, I'd say, "Hey, have you ever seen the Space Station?"

They'd say, "What the hell are you talking about?"

I'd say, "The Space Station is coming up right over there at 6:39."

They'd say, "You're full of shit."

I'd start to look toward the north west scanning above the horizon for a moving "star." When it popped up, I'd say, "Wooooo-hoooo! There goes the freakin' Space Station!"

It's a fun trick.

Try it a few times before you decide to blow someone's mind just to be sure you know how it works. And make sure your watch is set for the exact time.

THAT IS FUCKING RAD!!! AWESOME THANK YOU!:thumbsup:

[Mississippi Steve]

Have you ever watched the International Space Station pass overhead? I've seen it several times. It looks like a star moving across the sky. Often it is very bright, almost as bright as Venus. If you have ever seen a satelite, the ISS is generally much brighter than most other satelites you can see. Usually you have to get out of the city to see a regular satelite, but the ISS is often visible from the city on a clear night.

When the Space Shuttle is visiting the Space Station, it usually spends a day or two to catch up to the space station, and it is sort of amazing to see both of them passing overhead, one bright star following another.

This website tells you when and where to look to see the Space Station, and other big, bright satelites like the Hubble Space Telescope: Welcome to Heavens-Above (http://www.heavens-above.com/)

This might look like a long explanation but it is really very easy to do. You tell the site where you are --- it tells you where to look.


I usually use the site anonymously and select the Select your location from our huge database option.

On the Select Country screen, select the country where you will watch for the satelite.

On the Select Town screen, enter the city or town where you will watch for the satelite.

If more than one match comes up in the Town Search Results screen, select the right one from the list.

The Main Menu screen appears and shows you some summary info about the observing site you have selected and provides links to all the satelites you can get predictions for.
If you want predictions for the International Space Station, select ISS.
If the Sapce Shuttle is up and you want predictions for it, select STS-###. (That's space transportation system and mission number)
If you want predictions for the Hubble Space Telescope, select HST.
There are several other satelites you can select as well.
The next screen shows the visible passes for the next ten days for the satelite you selected. I attached the screen I got when I selected the Space Station for my area.

Here's what the chart means:

I ran the predictions on the 8th, but you can see there are no visible passes until the 12th. Dang! This is because the angle of the orbit does not bring the station over my location at night at a time when it is still illuminated by the sun until then. It might still go directly overhead in the next few days, but it's either in the daytime, or late at night in the earth's shadow, when it cannot be seen.

The Mag column tells you how bright it is going to be. Small numbers are brighter. Negative numbers are brightest. The brightest pass on my chart is the Feb 16 pass with a mgnitude of -2.2

You have both the Start and End Times, so you can see how long the pass will last. Feb 16 is also a long pass, about 5 minutes.

You have both the Start and End Az (stands for azimuth, basically the direction), so you can see where it's going to start in the sky and where it is going to end. The Feb 16 pass, starts in the NW (North West) and ends in the SE (South East). Basically this pass starts at one side of the sky and ends at the opposite, so it goes almost directly overhead. That's why it is a long pass and why it is so bright.

The Max Altitude columns tell you how high in the sky it will get and when and where that will happen. Al stands for altitude and tells you the angle off the horizon --- 0 is on the horizon and 90 is straight overhead. The Feb 16 pass has a maximum altitude of 70 degrees, so it goes almost directly overhead.

So here's what I would do if I wanted to see the Feb 16 pass, which looks like a pretty good one for my location. (This is only for my location --- you need to run the chart for yourself to get accurate times an angles.) I'd make sure it was a clear night. Any haze will ruin it. It's possible to see it from my backyard, but if possible I'd go to a dark location with a broad view of the sky. And even better I'd bring a friend and a joint. The pass is starting at 18:39 (6:39 pm), so I'd want to be there early. There may still be twiligth then, but if it was dark, it would be good to let the eyes adjust to the darkness.

We'd smoke the joint and make idle chit chat for awhile. A few minutes before 6:39, I'd say, "Hey, have you ever seen the Space Station?"

They'd say, "What the hell are you talking about?"

I'd say, "The Space Station is coming up right over there at 6:39."

They'd say, "You're full of shit."

I'd start to look toward the north west scanning above the horizon for a moving "star." When it popped up, I'd say, "Wooooo-hoooo! There goes the freakin' Space Station!"

It's a fun trick.

Try it a few times before you decide to blow someone's mind just to be sure you know how it works. And make sure your watch is set for the exact time.

Very kewl...but can you talk to them too??
ARRLWeb: Success Tips for Using the ISS Voice Repeater (http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2004/10/06/1/)

:D

[dragonrider]

That would be pretty cool to see while high, I'm gonna have to check it out.


Cool! Thanks!!!


THAT IS FUCKING RAD!!! AWESOME THANK YOU!:thumbsup:

If you try it, post back and let me know what you think. I always think it's pretty cool to see the space station, and I have amazed a few people when I pointed it out to them. Whenever I go camping, I print out the 10-day prediction ahead of time.

A few other notes I didn't mention:

Occaisionally they change the orbit of the station in order to avoid space junk or to re-boost the orbit back to it's specified altitude. So if you get a 10-day prediction and plan on watching a pass a few days away, it's a good idea to get the another prediction as near as possible to the day you plan to watch, because the orbit may have been altered in the meantime. Right now the Space Shuttle is at the station, and they often use the shuttle engines to boost the station, so the predictions may need to be updated frequently during the time the shuttle is there.

Also, the example I gave earlier was for what would be a great pass directly overhead, lasting about 5 minutes, and very bright. Often they will just pass over one side of the sky and not get as high as you would want, so be sure to use your local chart to determine how high, how long, and how bright it is going to be.

Have fun watching the station, and be sure to wave as it goes by!

[dragonrider]

If you get yourself an amateur radio license you wont just be able to see the ISS you will be able to talk to the astronauts on board.
With a good pair of binoculars or a telescope you can actually make out the shape of the space stations solar wings, I don't have a telescope I use 16X50 bins the main problem is that when the sky is clear enough above Scotland to see the ISS then its bloody freezing cold and it's hard to focus on a small object when you are shivering.
I know I should put the bins on a tripod but that would be too easy wouldn't it LOL.

Cheers

NCM


Very kewl...but can you talk to them too??
ARRLWeb: Success Tips for Using the ISS Voice Repeater (http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2004/10/06/1/)

:D

Wow, that is very cool --- I've never heard of TALKING to the station. I know a guy with an amateur radio license and gear. I'll have to ask him about that.

I've got a pretty good pair of astronomy binoculars (9x63). I've looked at the station through them to boost the brightness and to see the star fields roll by in the background as the station crosses teh sky --- very nice. But I wasn't able to make out the shape of the station --- probably need a higher magnification to get that kind of detail, or maybe better eyes!

I've put the binos on a tripod before and it makes them MUCH easier to handle. You can see a lot more when they are steady. Even the 9x are hard to hold steady enough for good detail, but 16x would be nearly impossible, especially in shivering cold weather. The only problem is that they get very awkward at some angles. Mostly I use the binos handheld to scan the sky. I have a great patio lounge chair that makes it very comfortable lay back and look up, and it helps to keep the binos steady when you are in that comfortable position.

I also have a pretty decent telescope, but I think I would have a lot of trouble getting the station into the field of veiw, and tracking it would be very difficult. I've seen some great pictures of the station that amateurs hae taken through their telescopes, but I'm not sure how they do it.

[FreshNugz]

Yeah it was nuts I watched and saw it!!
I only wish I had a telescope. I never knew about any of this. Thanks for the info!

[dragonrider]

Escellent!

Seeing that little light moving across the sky and knowing people are living and working there right now is kind of a blast, isn't it?

[ghosty]

Yeah, I've watched it pass over a few times while smoking outside and stargazing with a friend of mine who's big into astronomy in the summer. My friend pointed it out and we were just lying out there watching it. I remember being like "what do you think it's really like living up there and what do you think they're doing right now?." He's also pointed out the hubble a few times.:thumbsup:

[FreshNugz]

Escellent!

Seeing that little light moving across the sky and knowing people are living and working there right now is kind of a blast, isn't it?

That's exactly what I thought. Kinda pictured them up there with all their space stuff...would be funny if one astronaut floated over another and farted on his head.
hahahhahhaha
its what i'd be doin.

[dragonrider]

There is a doomed spy satelite that is about to burn up in the atmosphere, and may be shot down by the US Navy to avoid injuries on the ground! Here is the thread about the spy satelite: http://boards.cannabis.com/current-events/148143-prepared-duck-sometime-around-february.html

According to Space.com, you can use the same Heavens Above website that I use to see the Space Station to see this doomed spy satelite.

Here's the article: SPACE.com -- See the Falling Spy Satellite (http://www.space.com/spacewatch/080215-satellite-spotting.html)

As long as it isn't shot down, you can use the website to predict when and where the doomed spy satelite will pass over your area. After you enter your location, click the link for info on USA 193, and follow the links until you get to the prediction page.

[Narf!]

If you are really far out in the country and miles away from the nearest town. You can see the space station and other satellites with the naked eye. It just looks like a star moving across the sky. Some times you can be lucky enough to see two satellites in the same orbit following each other. I always thought that was pretty cool. My family has land in the country and whenever I'm there and the night sky is clear, I always make a point to go out and stargaze. The Peresid meteor shower is a favorite of mine.

[Coelho]

Well so today (or rather tonight) i smoked and went outside to look at the stars, which is an amazing thing to do when stoned. I trip heavily doing this. It seems the dark and starry sky is a place i long for, like if it were where i belong... anyway, its not the subject of this post.
While i was looking at the stars, i did see, slowly, a satellite passing through the stars. It seemed exactly as if one star were moving. Then i looked to see what time it was, and, surprisingly enough... it was 4.20 am! I just love this coincidences... :rastasmoke:
I did search in the satellites site above and found this informations about the satellite i did see:

Satellite Lacrosse 3
Mag 2.8
Starts
Time 04:19:43
Alt. 66°
Az. E
Max.Altitude
Time 04:19:43
Alt. 66°
Az. E
Ends
Time 04:24:04
Alt. 10°
Az. SE

Lacrosse 3- Information

Identification
USSPACECOM Catalog No.: 25017
International Designation Code: 1997-064-A

Satellite Details
Orbit: 652 x 659 km, 57.0°
Country/Org. of Origin: USA
Intrinsic brightness (Mag): 3.6 (at 1000km distance, 50% illuminated)
Maximum brightness (Mag): 1.7 (at perigee, 100% illuminated)

Launch
Date (UTC): October 24, 1997
Launch site: Vandenberg AFB,
California, USA
Launch vehicle: Titan 4

Description
Military reconnaissance satellite with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload

[Ubalubus]

Space is cool. I've got a pretty good telescope. Did you see my moon pics? http://boards.cannabis.com/science/141577-pictures-moon-i-took-through-my-telescope.html

Nice pics! I added a few of the planets i took in your thread :)

[Ubalubus]

With a good pair of binoculars or a telescope you can actually make out the shape of the space stations solar wings

I bought a pair of 15x70's... a little unwieldy but not too bad if laying back in a lounge chair with them. And yes, i was able to make out the solar panels on the ISS with them - albeit very tiny, it was incredible to see.

[MadSativa]

Cool sit calculator, thanks, Im gonna use it, I have seen the shuttle and the space station, with teescopses and withh, binocs. but I sometimes have trouble finding them, it is like a crap shoot with a shot gun at times

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

argh! how much longer till we're living up there on a large scale???


Like the newest biggest city is gonna be some shit floating in space man! i cant wait!