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There's a very bright pass of the ISS on the evening of Friday, 22nd September. It rises in the SW at around 19:24, is at its highest point at 19:29 (52 degrees above the horizon in the NW) and enters the earth's shadow about 1.5 minutes later in the NNE.
Sky track:
https://goo.gl/7PKA3e
Ground track:
https://goo.gl/fiHfmD
There are some other passes before that but are either early morning or very low in the sky. However, on the next day (Sep 23) there's an even brighter pass but will be during twilight. I'll try and post details in the next day or two.
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A quick reminder of the very bright ISS pass tomorrow evening (Friday) for those interested.
The pass on Saturday (Sep 23rd) will be about twice as bright but occurs in twilight, so the sky will still be bright but the ISS should still be easily visible. The ISS rises in the SSW at around 18:34, is at its highest point a few seconds before 18:37 (elevation of 52 degrees in the SE) and disappears around 18:40 in the NE.
Sky track for Sat:
https://goo.gl/fzkYrc
Ground track:
https://goo.gl/fjGnB5
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No problem, leo. I normally mention "weather permitting" when I post this stuff and forgot to do so, but in the case, I also forgot to mention the "end of the world permitting". We should be OK for the pass on the 22nd, but apparently, the world ends on the 23rd, so am not sure if that'll interfere with seeing the ISS pass or not. Perhaps I was a little fixated on the pass being in twilight.
https://goo.gl/i6ooAm
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Mahalo Tom, looking forward to tonight and tomorrow's viewing. Hope we have clear skies!
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Thanks for the reminders Tom, good pass.
Did anyone else see the Japanese rocket body H-2A R/B? It was tracking from southeast to northwest at the same time as the ISS.
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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Had a nice long view of ISS. No didn't see the other satellite.
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Yes, saw both the ISS and H-2A R/B although it was obviously much fainter. Mermaid - it's not actually a satellite, but a rocket body, i.e., it's the remains of a rocket that launched a spy satellite into orbit. The actual satellite was designed to spy on North Korea. It's still in orbit but no longer operational.
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I think mermaid called it a satellite because I originally posted it as such, before I realized R/B stood for rocket body and edited my post. Thanks for the additional info on the satellite it launched.
The Donner Party really wasn't that great of a party, was it?
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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No problem, HOTPE, and thanks for the clarification.
