Sunday, August 24, 2014

Spotting the International Space Station

We have had a few clear nights on this trip, one when staying in a cabin just outside the eastern entrance to the Yellowstone Park. Tonight in Steamboat Springs, Colorado it was clear for a while so I looked up the International Space Station to see if it would be passing overhead. This link allows you to choose your country, state and city and see the next few times that the ISS will be visible where you are. I was lucky, it was to pass over within about 10 minutes of the time I looked it up. The website tells you from what direction the ISS will appear and how many minutes it will be visible. It also tells which direction it will be when it disappears from view. Tonight it appeared in the west, right on time, and traveled towards the south east disappearing after 4 minutes.

The ISS is very bright and doesn't blink like an airplane.
These next links show earth from the ISS.

Vimeo video of earth from the ISS

Vimeo of earth from the ISS by Michael Konig, 2011

On the second video you can see the aurora borealis over the north pole.

Happy observing!

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