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Did ye see it?!
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17-07-2009 10:01pm#1
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Yes. Very unusual sight.
I was just asking the wife why is Ireland so blessed this time around for us to be able to see it.
We were blessed in terms of the Shuttle and Fuel tank on Wednesday night alright. What we saw on Wednesday was the Shuttle 18 minutes after it launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida and about 8 minutes after it had Jettisoned its main (Orange) fuel tank. 18 minutes into the flight the Shuttle was 'only' at about 100 miles up and climbing while the Fuel tank was falling back into the atmosphere to ultimately land in the Pacific Ocean. Thats why the Shuttle and Fuel tank moved so fast across the sky and why they looked so bright compared to the International Space Station. They went over us at 17,000mph at 100 miles high while the ISS goes over at roughtly the same speed but at 400 miles high.
This is only the second time in the Shuttles 30 year career ('May '08 was the last time for us) that circumstances enabled us to see it. A. The shuttle was heading to the International Space Station. B. The date of Launch being cancelled and moving to this week instead of June and the US daylight Launch times meaning the Shuttle would still be in the accent stage over Ireland at our Dusk. The Shuttle has of course been seen loads of times over Ireland before but up till '08 and now, only mid mission when it was already at 400 miles high like the Space Station and thus slower moving and a lot less bright and without a fuel tank flying below. To re-iterate. Wednesday was special because we were seeing it at only 100 miles up while it was still climbing into orbit.....during our Dusk.
It all boils down to Dusk you see. The Shuttle actually has flown over us like that at only 100 miles up before.....while its still daylight here and thus we never see it. The Shuttle has flown over us like that....in the middle of the night, when both we on the ground and the Shuttle are fully in the earths shadow and thus no light to light up the shuttle and thus we don't see it.
It has to fly over sometime in the 2 hours or so just after the sun sets when its getting dark for us on the ground but where 100 miles or 400 miles up, the sun rays are still hitting the spacecraft.
Heres the Shuttles eye view of Wednesdays Flyover:
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/archive/sts-127/day1/replay22.php
However, there is nothing special about the International Space Station passes . It goes over every 90 minutes. Its just that 60% of the time its going over in daylight or in the middle of the night. But for about 12 consectutive days a month it goes over once or twice a night during the hours of dusk and twilight and thats when we can see it. Remember Dusk and Twilight is when its dark down here but 400 miles above us the suns rays can still hit the spacecraft as it goes over us.
Its only because of the special shuttle event on Wednesday that piqued everyones interest, that many have discovered that the International Space Station was flying over as well.....but it has been for donkeys years.
You may have figured out after reading that that seeing as the days are getting shorter again and Dusk is getting earlier as the weeks pass, that the Visible ISS flyovers will get earlier and earlier. By December, you'll be bringing the kids outside to look at an ISS flyover just after they come home from school
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^^What s/he said...We were blessed in terms of the Shuttle and Fuel tank on Wednesday night alright. What we saw on Wednesday was the Shuttle 18 minutes after it launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida and about 8 minutes after it had Jettisoned its main (Orange) fuel tank. 18 minutes into the flight the Shuttle was 'only' at about 100 miles up and climbing while the Fuel tank was falling back into the atmosphere to ultimately land in the Pacific Ocean. Thats why the Shuttle and Fuel tank moved so fast across the sky and why they looked so bright compared to the International Space Station. They went over us at 17,000mph at 100 miles high while the ISS goes over at roughtly the same speed but at 400 miles high.
This is only the second time in the Shuttles 30 year career ('May '08 was the last time for us) that circumstances enabled us to see it. A. The shuttle was heading to the International Space Station. B. The date of Launch being cancelled and moving to this week instead of June and the US daylight Launch times meaning the Shuttle would still be in the accent stage over Ireland at our Dusk. The Shuttle has of course been seen loads of times over Ireland before but up till '08 and now, only mid mission when it was already at 400 miles high like the Space Station and thus slower moving and a lot less bright and without a fuel tank flying below. To re-iterate. Wednesday was special because we were seeing it at only 100 miles up while it was still climbing into orbit.....during our Dusk.
It all boils down to Dusk you see. The Shuttle actually has flown over us like that at only 100 miles up before.....while its still daylight here and thus we never see it. The Shuttle has flown over us like that....in the middle of the night, when both we on the ground and the Shuttle are fully in the earths shadow and thus no light to light up the shuttle and thus we don't see it.
It has to fly over sometime in the 2 hours or so just after the sun sets when its getting dark for us on the ground but where 100 miles or 400 miles up, the sun rays are still hitting the spacecraft.
However, there is nothing special about the International Space Station passes . It goes over every 90 minutes. Its just that 60% of the time its going over in daylight or in the middle of the night. But for about 12 consectutive days a month it goes over once or twice a night during the hours of dusk and twilight and thats when we can see it. Remember Dusk and Twilight is when its dark down here but 400 miles above us the suns rays can still hit the spacecraft as it goes over us.
Its only because of the special shuttle event on Wednesday that piqued everyones interest, that many have discovered that the International Space Station was flying over as well.....but it has been for donkeys years.
You may have figured out after reading that that seeing as the days are getting shorter again and Dusk is getting earlier as the weeks pass, that the Visible ISS flyovers will get earlier and earlier. By December, you'll be bringing the kids outside to look at an ISS flyover just after they come home from school0 -
Check out Heavens Above for sighting opportunities. In the Configuration Section on the homepage, select your location (the database is pretty comprehensive). Then click on the ISS option in the satellites section below. It will give you a table of Visible Passes.
Don't worry too much about azimuths and altitudes, just look roughly to the left of where the sun went down, and about 1.5 to 2 hands' width above the horizon.
(All open to correction from the pros. ) 0 -
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You can also use a googlemaps app to locate your actual position...Tyler MacDurden wrote: »Check out Heavens Above for sighting opportunities. In the Configuration Section on the homepage, select your location (the database is pretty comprehensive). Then click on the ISS option in the satellites section below. It will give you a table of Visible Passes.
Don't worry too much about azimuths and altitudes, just look roughly to the left of where the sun went down, and about 1.5 to 2 hands' widths above the horizon.
(All open to correction from the pros )0 -
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