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Re: ISS fly over

Posted by Bret on May 23, 2010, 7:25 pm, in reply to "Re: ISS fly over"
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Sure, I'll be there for the sunset and the ISS flyover a few minutes later. Sorry I haven't replied sooner; I've been busy with visiting relatives the last few days.

Daniel, the ISS pass we saw on Thursday evening had a peak magnitude (brightness) of -1.8. Tonight's pass will be mag -2.3 which is even brighter (more negative is brighter in astronomical magnitude terms.) For comparison, Venus has been -3.8 lately. However, the sky will still be somewhat bright 10 minutes after sunset, so that will make it seem less bright and make it harder to spot initially.

Good job explaining where to look for tonight's ISS pass, except it won't go straight overhead. It will get up to about 45 degrees above the horizon. At that point in its pass, it will be out over the bay above the residual sunset. I just checked some charts, and I think it will actually pass close to Venus (apparently, not actually), so that will be an extra treat!

About that Iridium flare I saw a few minutes after the ISS pass on Thursday, it was magnitude -8, and high overhead. -8 is much brighter than any planet or star. It's almost the brightest possible Iridium flare. Too bad there aren't any flares visible from Las Manz the next few nights. I'll try to get with you when another good one is scheduled.
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