Space Station flyover tonight. Again.
If you missed last night's space spectacular, you'll have a second chance tonight to watch as the International Space Station flies almost directly over Baltimore just after 9:30 p.m. EDT. We will, that is, if skies clear up in time. Here's the radar loop for these crazy thudnerstorms. They look like they were aimed right for us. Forecasters say skies will clear after 11, but we need them to do it sooner.
Those of us lucky enough to have watched ISS last night witnessed a rare double flyby as the space station was trailed by the shuttle Atlantis. The ISS - bigger and brighter than the shuttle led the way, followed by a smaller and whiter shuttle, perhaps 10 seconds behind but following along the same track. Here are some photos, snapped in Pennsylvania by Joe Cassano and posted on his blog.
I managed to round up some neighbors, and some disbelieving dog-walkers and evening strollers in our neighborhood. And I think I can say they were impressed, if not astounded by the unexpected spectacle.
Plenty of Blog readers watched, too. You can read their comments on last night's post.
For those who snoozed, the skies remain unusually clear and dry for these parts in June, and the station's orbit is even more favorable tonight for Marylanders. So we'll all get a second chance this evening to watch three brave space travelers and $100 billion our tax dollars fly over the city.
The shuttle Atlantis had been due to land early this afternoon. But bad weather has postponed touchdown until at least 3:30 p.m. If the landing is delayed until tomorrow, we may get another double pass this evening. If not, the space station flys on, and it will be soaring almost directly over Baltimore an hour or so after sunset.
LATE UPDATE: LANDING HAS BEEN SCRUBBED FOR THURSDAY.
Look for the ISS to rise above the northwest horizon at 9:39 p.m. EDT, climbing to a maximum elevation of 86 degrees - 213 miles nearly straight up - at 9:42 p.m. From there, it will sail off toward the southeast, disappearing at 9:44 p.m.
Comments
We were on the lookout up here in North County. The skies were quite clear. We saw the ISS fly over first, trailed by something similar just brief moments minutes later. Could that have been the Shuttle Atlantis again, since its landing was scrubbed? Amazing sights! Thanks for the heads-up. Just as you said--northwest to southeast, at 9:40 or so... Awesome--in the truest sense of the word!
Posted by: Molly Ward | June 22, 2007 8:31 AM
Will there be another possibility of seeing the ISS flyover tonight (Friday) ?
Posted by: Mo | June 22, 2007 10:39 AM
Yes. We do have a shot at another ISS sighting tonight. But it won't be an easy one. The station will fly very close to the southwestern horizon, rising no higher than 24 degrees - only a quarter of the way up the southwestern sky. I don't usually alert readers to these low passes because they tend to be brief, and can easily be lost in trees, haze and air pollution.
That said, if you want to try, watch for the station to appear low in the western sky at 10:01 p.m. tonight (Friday), headed toward the southern sky. It will be flying (roughly) from over St. Louis to Charleston, S.C.
From our viewpoint, it will pass just below Venus and Saturn, then just below the moon, disappearing low in the southern sky at 10:04 p.m. It will not be as bright as it has appeared in recent days, a function of distance and light angles.
If you want to see all ISS flyby predictions for your location, visit www.heavens-above.com Enter your town and you will get all the information you need for spotting the space station and other satellites from your back yard. And there's much more on the site worth exploring. Good luck.
Posted by: frank roylance | June 22, 2007 11:37 AM
Saw the ISS again tonight right on schedule. More amazing was about a minute or two before it came into view I happened to see a "shooting star!" Orange/amber in color, it traveled from the northern sky to the southern sky. I think I am hooked, I just told my wife I am going to buy a telescope.
Posted by: Jon | June 22, 2007 10:08 PM
Jon: A neighbor and I stepped out last night, and we spotted the station, too, once it cleared the trees to the west. I'm happy to hear you've become an enthusiast. There is lots to see in the night sky, even with nothing but the naked eye and and perhaps a decent pair of binoculars.
If you're serious about buying a telescope, don't go off half cocked. Lots of people get excited about this stuff and make some easily avoided mistakes that can lead to disappointment.
I wrote an article last year about getting started in backyard astronomy that would be quite helpful to you. Give me a couple of days and I'll see if we can put a link to the story on the Weather Blog page, alongside the Stargazer's Calendar. If you don't see it by Wednesday, shoot me a message and jog my aging memory.
Posted by: frank roylance | June 23, 2007 9:04 AM