Rare space station, shuttle flyby tonight
Space cadets! We may get another opportunity tonight to see the International Space Station and the shuttle Atlantis fly by, one right after the other. Last night's flyover was clouded out for us, but skies have now cleared behind the cold front, and there is one more decent pass scheduled tonight. It will be closer to the horizon than I usually bother to note here. But this tandem pass by two spacecraft is so rare that it will be well worth trying to see.
Here's the scoop:
The International Space Station will rise above the northwest horizon at 9:19 p.m., EDT, traveling toward the east at 17,200 mph. Once again, look for a bright, steady white (or slightly amber) light. If it blinks or has colored or multiple lights, it's an airliner. Keep looking.
The ISS will reach its highest elevation above the north-northeast - just 30 degrees, or less than halfway up the sky - at 9:22 p.m. It will then fly on toward the eastern horizon, and disappear into the Earth's shadow at 9:24 p.m.
But here's the bonus that makes this so very cool.
The shuttle Atlantis, headed for a landing tomorrow afternoon at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is still flying in close formation with the ISS, after undocking yesterday morning.
Look for the shuttle flying just ahead of the ISS (or just behind; observers last night said Atlantis seemed to be trailing the station). The Heavens-Above Web site has just one second separating the two spacecraft. Last night's observers put the spread at 5 seconds, but the separation should be increasing with time. It might pay to step out a few minutes early. The ISS should be brighter, and perhaps a bit amber compared with Atlantis. See if you can tell which is which. You can track them in real time here.
This is a rare event. I've witnessed it just once myself. And those who saw it last night found it among the most memorable things they've ever seen in the night sky. (See earlier post).
Remember, these spacecraft will be flying from north of the Great Lakes, southeastward toward Cape Cod. They will appear fairly low in our northern and northeastern sky. So find yourself a spot with a clear view in that direction. Good luck. And be sure to post comments here and let us know how you made out.
Comments
Just wondering if anyone knows the times for Western Pennsyvania. My kids are out there visiting my parents & they should have a great view. Would it be a few minutes earlier?
Posted by: john | June 20, 2007 6:40 PM
I just saw both craft flow over. Thanks for the heads up. The larger light was in front so I think the station was in front of Atlantis which was the smaller white light trailing behind.
I appreciate getting to stand out on my deck and watch them go by.
Thank you for the information!
Robin in MD:)
Posted by: Robin | June 20, 2007 9:27 PM
Just caught a glimpse of them, it did lok as the STS was trailng the ISS, assuming that the ISS was brighter of the two objects. Have to say though it was one of the more intresing things i have had the chance to see in the night sky, also conidering that it such a rare event.
Posted by: Jason | June 20, 2007 9:30 PM
Awesome! Saw it clear as day. The lead light was much bigger and brighter than the second. I assume the first light was the ISS.
Posted by: Jon | June 20, 2007 9:32 PM
Thanks For The info. Saw them clear as day in columbia md.
Posted by: Frank Rankine | June 20, 2007 9:45 PM
My daughter, Miranda, and I saw both clearly from the grounds of Fountain Green Elementary School, northeast of Bel Air. The ISS appeared first around 9:22, and was a brighter white (Miranda saw an amber tinge). Atlantis appeared shortly after, a dimmer yellow/red, slightly lower and trailing the station. Both moved rapidly to the east across the northern sky, with the shuttle appearing to gain slightly on the station before they disappeared around 9:25. Many thanks for the alert – it was a truly amazing sight.
Posted by: David Spivey | June 20, 2007 9:53 PM
Wow! I'm out here in the country and what a spectacular show. I was able to watch it from the moment it entered into my view to just when it disappeared into the earths shadow. Nice and dark out here so both the space station and shuttle were quite impressive. It was moving too. So that's what 17,200 MPH looks like form the earth. Thanks for the heads up.
Posted by: Bruce in Forest Hill | June 20, 2007 9:57 PM
Thank you so much for posting the info. I got to see both, and it was really exciting!!! I got a very clear unobstructed view as they flew across the sky (in Catonsville).
Posted by: Susan | June 20, 2007 10:03 PM
Wow indeed! That was very cool. And what a perfect evening for it. Glad so many got a look. There will be another good opportunity tomorrow (Thurs) to see the ISS fly over. Atlantis will have landed (probably). But the station will fly on.
Watch for it above the NW horizon at 9:39 p.m., headed toward the southeast. It will be directly over Baltimore at 9:42 p.m., then fly off toward the SE, disappearing at 9:44.
The weather looks good. For ISS flyover predictions for your location, visit www.heavens-above.com or, keep checking the WeatherBlog at MarylandWeather.com
Posted by: frank roylance | June 20, 2007 10:07 PM
Thanks again Frank!
Susan and I keep a close eye on your blog for events such as this. We have you to thank for seeing for the first time the ISS disappearing into the earths shadow in early January, and the brief appearance of comet McNaught which we viewed with starmanjer at the Parkville high school track. Tonight we were stationed on the athletic field of the high school just north of Putty Hill Ave. We first saw the shuttle about 30 seconds to a minute after the scheduled start time, probably due to the bright lights from the schools tennis courts.
When we didn't see the space station we were wondering if they were so close together that we should have had binoculars to see the separation. It was Susan that noticed the ISS, which to us seemed to lag the shuttle by about 10 seconds or so. We watched as they gradually dimmed and disappeared.
Again, thanks for the "heads up". We highly recommend the area around the Parkville High School for viewing many of the events that you make us aware of through this blog.
Posted by: Dave and Susan in Parkville | June 20, 2007 11:11 PM
I saw them in the later pass, around 10:55 pm, from Chevy Chase, MD. It did appear as if the ISS was in the lead, as they passed from WNW to WSW. I would put the spread at about 1 second.
Thanks for the info!!
Posted by: Karen | June 20, 2007 11:16 PM
Thanks for the alert Frank!! It was spectacular here on the Eastern Shore. We waved and feel certain that that they waved back.
Posted by: kurt | June 21, 2007 7:33 AM
Hi Frank!
I saw them as well! It was awesome! Thank you for the heads up!
Posted by: Mike in Crofton | June 21, 2007 9:26 AM
I had a great view of both the shuttle and the ISS from the northern-facing porch of my home in NE Baltimore City. A spectacular display that I won't soon forget!! Please let us know when this happens again. If the shuttle doesn't land today, will it still be near the ISS when the pass occurs tonight (Thursday)?
Posted by: Tim | June 21, 2007 10:35 AM
Saw it again tonight! What a thrill. Looks as if the shuttle is still up there, just further behind than last night.
Posted by: Bruce from Forest Hill | June 21, 2007 9:48 PM