Check frequently for updates.Īnother great site is this one, which provides real-time satellite tracking and shows you at any given moment during the day or night over what part of the Earth the space station or shuttle happen to be.Įndeavour's six-man crew is delivering a $2 billion astrophysics experiment to the International Space Station during this spaceflight. However, they can change due to the slow decay of the space station's orbit and periodic reboosts to higher altitudes. Predictions computed a few days ahead of time are usually accurate within a few minutes. So what is the viewing schedule for your particular hometown? You can easily find out by visiting one of these three web sites:Įach site will ask for your zip code or city, and respond with a list of suggested spotting times. ![]() We'll have more to say about this later next week, so stay tuned! They will be noticeably farther apart ,with Endeavour appearing to "lead" the space station across the sky, on the morning of May 31. For the northern US and southern Canada, the two spacecraft will be flying closely in tandem on the morning of May 30, in some cases separated by less than the width of a full moon. In a way, this final mission of Endeavour will be saving the very best for last, since after undocking on May 29, the shuttle orbiter and the ISS will appear as separate entities as they track across the morning twilight sky. Skywatchers in Key West, Fla., will have viewing opportunities from May 21 through May 27, while those in Honolulu, Hawaii, will get their chance between May 22 through 26.Īnd after May 26 or 27, visibility will be possible for the northern United States and southern Canada, as well as much of Europe and Asia. īut as the 16-day mission progresses, Endeavour and the station will gradually become available to those north of the equator. Buenos Aires, Argentina and Sydney, Australia will have chances through May 25 Melbourne, Australia up until May 26. Initially, only those in the Southern Hemisphere will have opportunities to see Endeavour docked at the space station.įrom Johannesburg, South Africa and Bogota, Colombia, for instance, there will be passes each morning through May 22. Where to look to see Endeavour and the station And as a bonus, sunlight glinting directly off the solar panels can sometimes make the station appear to briefly flare to super-brilliance. Some skywatchers have even caught a glimpse of the station just prior to sunset or shortly after sunrise. On favorable passes, its brilliance can rival the planet Venus and is more than 25 times brighter than Sirius. īecause of its size and configuration of highly reflective solar panels, the International Space Station is by far the brightest man-made object currently in orbit around the Earth. However, after they undock late on May 29, they will appear as separate objects during the final days (May 30 to 31) of the mission. ![]() ![]() NASA's space shuttle, when flying independently of the space station, appears as a very bright object almost matching Sirius (the brightest star in the night sky), though nowhere near as dazzling as the International Space Station.įrom May 17 through May 29, when Endeavour is docked at the station, the two space vehicles will appear as one as they pass across the sky. This usually means shortly after dusk or before dawn. Most satellites become visible only when they are in sunlight and the observer is in deep twilight or darkness.
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