Great Time To View The International Space Station!
by adminOver the next few days, especially on the East Coast, there will be a rare opportunity to view the International Space Station as it flies overhead. The station has the sun reflecting off it such that it will be very visible (Stellar Magnitude -2 to -1) even to the naked eye.
In fact, the naked eye should be all that you use, along with maybe some binoculars. The vast majority of telescopes won’t track fast enough (the ISS goes from horizon to horizon in under 7 minutes, typically).
To find out where the ISS will be ’showing up’ you should go to NASA’s website that covers state by state, city by city where the ISS will rise and set.
The main site for the USA can be found at this URL:
http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/skywatch.cgi?country=United+States
From there you pick the state and city from which you are viewing. For example, Philadelphia has the rising and settings (as many as 3 times a day) for the next couple of weeks at this URL:
LIGHT POLLUTION DOES NOT MATTER WITH ISS VIEWING. The ISS should presently be one of the brightest objects in the sky, the big problem is to make certain you do not confuse it with a plane. Keep in mind that even with binoculars (or a telescope if you managed to get it to track) you will not likely see details. Just enjoy the fact that is bright and visible.
Happy viewing!
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