Question about ISS visibility times

Ludo · 19-07-2009 8:23pm #1

I have been using this site to keep track of when I can see the ISS from Cork:

http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/view.cgi?country=Ireland&region=None&city=Cork

Search on Cork:
Fri Jul 17/10:56 PM
Sat Jul 18/09:45 PM
Sun Jul 19/10:09 PM

If I search on Limerick I get:
Fri Jul 17/10:53 PM
Sat Jul 18/11:17 PM
Sun Jul 19/11:42 PM

Are the sat and sun times a mistake? I didn't think it would be visible at different times from Cork and Limerick. I saw if on Friday and it was bang on 10:56 as the site says so that was right.
Is it simply that the earlier passes in Cork are not visible in Limerick due to it being too low in the sky or something and the same with the later passes over Limerick?

[Deleted User] · 19-07-2009 8:26pm

The NASA site seems to be riddled with mistakes.

Go to Heavens-Above.com and register there, it's a lot better (they even recommend it on the NASA website).

Flukey · 19-07-2009 8:32pm

Heavens Above is indeed a good site. N2yo.com is another one to try.

Beeker · 19-07-2009 8:36pm

Ludo wrote: »

I have been using this site to keep track of when I can see the ISS from Cork:

http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/view.cgi?country=Ireland&region=None&city=Cork

Search on Cork:
Fri Jul 17/10:56 PM
Sat Jul 18/09:45 PM
Sun Jul 19/10:09 PM

If I search on Limerick I get:
Fri Jul 17/10:53 PM
Sat Jul 18/11:17 PM
Sun Jul 19/11:42 PM

Are the sat and sun times a mistake? I didn't think it would be visible at different times from Cork and Limerick. I saw if on Friday and it was bang on 10:56 as the site says so that was right.
Is it simply that the earlier passes in Cork are not visible in Limerick due to it being too low in the sky or something and the same with the later passes over Limerick?

As above Heavens above are the best. Both passes tonight will be visible from Cork and Limerick and waterford for that matter. NASA are great at the spaceflight business but their web sites leave a lot to be desired.

Ludo · 19-07-2009 8:40pm

Thanks guys...much appreciated.

Flukey · 19-07-2009 9:29pm

When you look at the timings on those sites there are things to keep in mind. It is important to look at where it comes up over the horizon, where it reaches its highest point, how high that high point is and where it goes down again. Also the length of time the pass takes is important. All that information is on the websites. The best view is the one tonight just after 10pm, as it is rising in the West and setting in the East SouthEast and lasts over 5 minutes. Compare that to the later one and you'll see there is a big difference.

decies · 19-07-2009 9:33pm

Flukey wrote: »

When you look at the timings on those sites there are things to keep in mind. It is important to look at where it comes up over the horizon, where it reaches its highest point, how high that high point is and where it goes down again. Also the length of time the pass takes is important. All that information is on the websites. The best view is the one tonight just after 10pm, as it is rising in the West and setting in the East SouthEast and lasts over 5 minutes. Compare that to the later one and you'll see there is a big difference.

Just to translate it should be good tonight,as sky bright in the se anyway.;)

mike65 · 19-07-2009 9:39pm

Waterford

http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=25544&lat=%2052.24&lng=-7.1347&loc=waterford&alt=0&tz=GMT

The next pass is at 10.07 and at -3.1 magnitude so will hardly be visible I'd say.
Tonight is low in the sky at 17 degrees in the south west for 2 mins at 11.42
.
Tomorrow night will be great around 10.30 pm 5 mins to the sky, but it'll be tipping down by then

Beeker · 19-07-2009 10:10pm

Passing right overhead of me now @ 22:10. Great view from where I work looking to the west.:D

mike65 · 19-07-2009 10:13pm

Yep its just dissapeared east having flown overhead. Better than I expected.

Flukey · 19-07-2009 10:13pm

I saw it too. A good view, though some of the sky was cloudy.

[Deleted User] · 19-07-2009 10:13pm

That was a bright, very long and very high pass. One of the best (and earliest) I've seen anyway.

Flukey · 19-07-2009 10:17pm

N2yo.com gives some good stats, like its height. It was over the Adriatic before it went below our horizon. It is already over the Eastern Mediterranean, and moving fast.

andrewshawire · 19-07-2009 10:33pm

I have just seen it pass in offaly at around 22:13 to 22:16.

It was unexpected. will we see it again or was this the last night?

[Deleted User] · 19-07-2009 10:37pm

andrewshawire wrote: »

I have just seen it pass in offaly at around 22:13 to 22:16.

It was unexpected. will we see it again or was this the last night?

If you go to this website and register (you've to click on "why register" to register) and enter your location and all that, it'll tell you when it's visible.

It'll be visible again around 11:40 or so (I've posted the times in one of the other threads a few min ago), and it'll be visible tomorrow night just after half 10.

backboiler · 19-07-2009 10:58pm

mike65 wrote: »

Waterford

http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=25544&lat=%2052.24&lng=-7.1347&loc=waterford&alt=0&tz=GMT

The next pass is at 10.07 and at -3.1 magnitude so will hardly be visible I'd say.
Tonight is low in the sky at 17 degrees in the south west for 2 mins at 11.42
.
Tomorrow night will be great around 10.30 pm 5 mins to the sky, but it'll be tipping down by then

Mike65, a magnitude of -3.1 makes it the next brightest thing in the sky after the Moon and Venus. Negative magnitudes are brghter than positive, with about +6 being the limit of what's visible with the eye on a clear night.

mike65 · 19-07-2009 11:11pm

Yeah I realised that later, I was thinking hmmm, I might have that wrong. minus good plus bad.

glennhysen · 19-07-2009 11:50pm

Just saw the ISS in Celbridge. Went upstairs to get a better view of it as it was low in the sky.

Flukey · 19-07-2009 11:52pm

Don't worry Backboiler, Mike65 knows his magnitude values, and a lot more besides, when it comes to this subject. Anyway, I caught another view of the ISS, as it passed directly over... Spain (according to n2yo.com). It is amazing that we can still see it when it is so far away. If you haven't done so, I'd recommend everyone to check n2yo.com out, as it gives realtime information on the ISS, or anything else you want. You don't have to register or put in your location either, as it picks it straight from your IP address on your computer. All you have to do is visit the site.

deRanged · 19-07-2009 11:54pm

Just passed.

[Deleted User] · 20-07-2009 12:02am

That's a brilliant photo deRanged, well done.

deRanged · 20-07-2009 12:10am

-JammyDodger- wrote: »

That's a brilliant photo deRanged, well done.

thanks. there's one or two more on my flickr.

Flukey · 20-07-2009 12:59am

Some nice shots. The ISS going over more than outdoes a new overbridge at the Lower Glanmire Road.

What did you take the ISS photos with?

Another nice view of Jupiter tonight. I could see the moons a few nights ago with my binoculars. I'll set up my telescope for them some night.

deRanged · 20-07-2009 8:13am

Flukey wrote: »

The ISS going over more than outdoes a new overbridge at the Lower Glanmire Road.

well, one is very relevant down here. and the other has a broken toilet.

What did you take the ISS photos with?

canon 50d with a 17-40 lens at 17mm. 30 second exposure.

mike65 · 20-07-2009 6:53pm

The skies are pretty clear here so hopefully a decent showing will be on the cards.

shamwari · 20-07-2009 7:24pm

Are we looking at similar times to last night? Around 22:30 in the Dublin area?

Ludo · 20-07-2009 10:49pm

Was very bright last night alright. Very thin cloud cover in Cork tonight but you could still see it through it until it hit a heavily covered area.

Thanks for all the advice guys...now I just gotta figure out where the hell Venus is so I stop thinking I am looking at a very bright star through my binoculars and then get the telescope we bought the MIL out of her wardrobe and put it to some use...total noob or what

Flukey · 20-07-2009 11:02pm

It went over on schedule tonight. A nice view of it here in Dublin. Bright skies.

Ludo, you can forget Venus for now. However, if you look towards the southeast late these nights, and becoming earlier in the months to come, you will see a very bright object. It is Jupiter. Definitely with a telescope, and even with bonoculars, you will be able to see its moons.

One last thing, none of that noob stuff. You can get into astronomy very easily. As I often say to people: "Astronomy is one of the easiest hobbies to start. All you have to do is go outside and look up." You have plenty of resources here on the net to help you know what you are seeing. Check in regularly. Get yourself a good sky atlas - any good bookshop has lots of them - and you'll then be able to get going. Tonight is ok here in Dublin, but the weather may not be so good all week. A simple thing like a cloud is one of the few things to worry us. There will be plenty of opportunity to see things, and the ISS will be back every couple of months or so, with chances to see it for about 10 days to a fortnight. So you have no excuses. Like I said, just go outside and look up!

mike65 · 20-07-2009 11:07pm

A decent showing albeit not as bright tonight.

suzieb · 20-07-2009 11:11pm

Seen it really clearly in balbriggan, No clouds so had perfect view,although like others said not as bright as other nights.

Just as was half way across in my eyeline a plane came from sse going towards west where iss came from. It literally looked like they passed each other with 100 metres between them!
Say if anyone that didn't know it was iss would think it was a near miss of two planes :eek:

Flukey · 20-07-2009 11:21pm

I saw a plane pass near it too, from here on the southside. From my vantage point it was coming from the southwest. Given the day that is in it, to see a plane and the ISS together was kind of good. All that was missing was the moon.

Question about ISS visibility times

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