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(NASA)   New alert notifies you when you can see the ISS overhead. That reminds me, I wonder where my laser pointer is   ( spotthestation.nasa.gov) divider line
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    More: Cool, International Space Station, laser pointers, space stations, Johnson Space Center  
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2003 clicks; posted to Geek » on 05 Nov 2012 at 8:27 AM (5 years ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook   more»



26 Comments     (+0 »)
 
View Voting Results: Smartest and Funniest
 
crab66
2012-11-05 08:31:48 AM  
Better be one hell of a laser pointer.
 
Agarista [TotalFark]
2012-11-05 08:40:08 AM  
done and done.

Thanks, subby!
 
dready zim
2012-11-05 08:40:30 AM  
Is it on google sky maps?
 
HotIgneous Intruder
2012-11-05 09:13:33 AM  
 
Lattices aren't Distributive
2012-11-05 09:43:19 AM  
Or go here and enter your latitude and longitude and get a map telling you where in the sky it'll be. Even if you don't live in one of the cities in NASA's list. (Probably not worth looking unless the magnitude is negative - smaller numbers are brighter.)
 
Maul555
2012-11-05 09:49:10 AM  
woot

/signed up
 
Theaetetus
2012-11-05 10:00:57 AM  
Heavens Above is a better site, and also includes other satellites including daytime-visible Iridium flares.
 
thewulf
2012-11-05 10:11:07 AM  

crab66: Better be one hell of a laser pointer.


http://www.wickedlasers.com/arctic
 
Soup_In_A_Basket
2012-11-05 10:11:28 AM  
Perhaps one of you Farkers out there can answer this for me......Has the ISS ever at any time been in geostationary orbit, perhaps back about the turn of the millenium? I remember there being a stationary object (not a streetlight) visible in the low southeastern sky from Glasgow, Scotland for several months. I always assumed it to be the ISS.

I'm not saying its aliens, but....
 
Theaetetus
2012-11-05 10:19:52 AM  

Soup_In_A_Basket: Has the ISS ever at any time been in geostationary orbit


Nah. Geostationary orbit is at an altitude of 22,236 miles. The ISS is in low earth orbit, at about 225 miles. It's a lonnnnnnnnnng way from geostationary.
 
Theaetetus
2012-11-05 10:21:43 AM  
Here's a graphic for context. The ISS is in the blue zone at the left. Geostationary is that line where it goes from green to red.
upload.wikimedia.orgView Full Size
 
Soup_In_A_Basket
2012-11-05 10:32:39 AM  
Theaetetus - Thanks. Cool chart!
 
Theaetetus
2012-11-05 10:42:38 AM  

Soup_In_A_Basket: Theaetetus - Thanks. Cool chart!


Not mine, from Wiki. But here's the full size, readable version.
 
StrikitRich
2012-11-05 10:44:52 AM  
Came to plug Heavens-Above and am happy to see that it was already done twice.
 
Anastacya [TotalFark]
2012-11-05 11:13:40 AM  

Theaetetus: Soup_In_A_Basket: Theaetetus - Thanks. Cool chart!

Not mine, from Wiki. But here's the full size, readable version.


Wow, I learned something today. Thank you so much! That was very cool!
 
dittybopper [recently expired TotalFark]
2012-11-05 11:22:08 AM  

Theaetetus: Soup_In_A_Basket: Has the ISS ever at any time been in geostationary orbit

Nah. Geostationary orbit is at an altitude of 22,236 miles. The ISS is in low earth orbit, at about 225 miles. It's a lonnnnnnnnnng way from geostationary.


It's a long way to go.
It's a long way to Geostationary
to the sweetest orbit I know
Goodbye, current orbit,
Farewell L-E-O
It's a long long way to Geostationary,
But my heart's right there.
 
Pinko_Commie
2012-11-05 11:44:53 AM  
If you have an Android device, Satellite AR is a very nice app for spotting various satellites.

It has a setting specifically for the ISS, it'll tell you how long it is until the next flyover, and when one is iminent, it gives you an AR view similar to Google SkyMap with a projected track where the ISS will fly.

I usually use Heavens above to give me a list of approx times of when its going to pass over, and then Satellite AR to pinpoint where it's coming from once I'm out there.


A shot of the ISS taken from my back garden in Apr 2011 (30 Second exposure) (it's big to embed).
(Shameless plug: there's a whole bunch of them on a blog myself and a couple of mates run)

http://www.twisst.nl/ is also a good service, it will tweet you when the ISS is going to flyover your location (as listed in your twitter profile)
 
rwfan
2012-11-05 12:30:11 PM  
I prefer n2yo.com over Heavens Above. Seems to be similar to the rest but I am more familiar with it.
 
madgonad
2012-11-05 12:53:40 PM  

Soup_In_A_Basket: Theaetetus - Thanks. Cool chart!


full size!
 
dittybopper [recently expired TotalFark]
2012-11-05 01:23:10 PM  

rwfan: I prefer n2yo.com over Heavens Above. Seems to be similar to the rest but I am more familiar with it.


N2YO is a ham radio operator. It's appropriate, because not only do we have 29 operating ham radio satellites in space, there is also a ham radio station on board the ISS.
 
Radak
2012-11-05 01:23:28 PM  
On Android, I've always been a fan of ISS Detector. The one Pinko_Commie names is nice, too.

Unfortunately, at my latitude, it never gets more than a few degrees over the horizon, so I can only see it from the tall buildings we don't have.
 
dittybopper [recently expired TotalFark]
2012-11-05 01:45:13 PM  

Radak: On Android, I've always been a fan of ISS Detector. The one Pinko_Commie names is nice, too.

Unfortunately, at my latitude, it never gets more than a few degrees over the horizon, so I can only see it from the tall buildings we don't have.


You could always try talking to them.
 
SWGlassPit
2012-11-05 01:58:46 PM  
Shining lasers at the ISS? Well, not lasers exactly, but It's been done.

Video
 
Shadow Blasko [BareFark]
2012-11-05 06:05:33 PM  
Spaceweather has offered this for years haven't they?
 
zeronewbury [TotalFark]
2012-11-06 12:09:55 AM  
This might never see a green light, but this is why I figure TFark is worth it. Nice.
 
Pinko_Commie
2012-11-06 08:28:08 AM  

Radak: On Android, I've always been a fan of ISS Detector. The one Pinko_Commie names is nice, too.

Unfortunately, at my latitude, it never gets more than a few degrees over the horizon, so I can only see it from the tall buildings we don't have.


That's quite a nice one. Satellite AR is good for showing you the track, but it always annoyed me that you couldn't set an alarm on it.
 
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