Continuing Observations of the International Space Station

If you see a bright star moving in the night sky, you might guess it is an airplane. However, please add another hypothesis: it might just be the “International Space Station (ISS)”!

I previously published a post about observing the International Space Station at https://kexue.fm/archives/14. However, that post focused more on the translation of an article; this time, I am introducing the actual observation of the space station.

To observe it, you first need to know when the ISS will pass over your head and how long it will stay; otherwise, it is all just talk!

Below is the position map of the International Space Station (refresh to see the latest, click for a larger image):

To accurately find the time it passes over your area, you first need to know the latitude and longitude of your location. Many websites currently provide this query, for example: http://astro.lady.qq.com/a/20050616/000062.htm

By checking, I found that my location (Xinxing, Yunfu, Guangdong) is at 22.68N, 112.2E.

Now, modify the following URL:

http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?lat=Latitude&lng=Longitude&tz=ChST

Generally speaking, you only need to modify the latitude and longitude, while &tz=ChST represents China Standard Time!

After modification, click to open, and we can see:

This includes the appearance time, disappearance time, direction, brightness (around -2, which is quite bright), and so on.

Alright, you can bring your telescope and camera now and prepare for action! However, the appearance time is short, so you must be quick when observing!

Appendix: Solar Transit of the International Space Station and Space Shuttle:

According to the US “Wired” magazine website, a French photographer recently captured a spectacular image of the US Space Shuttle “Endeavour” transiting the Sun after docking with the International Space Station.

You might not be able to take such a photo with your digital camera, because Thierry Legault, a French photographer and amateur astronomer known for his astronomical photos, captured this spectacular scene through a special solar filter, and he is a leader among photographers.

When reposting, please include the original address of this article: https://kexue.fm/archives/41

For more detailed reposting matters, please refer to: Scientific Space FAQ