h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The International Space Station (ISS) and the Shuttle pass over Ireland and the southern UK tonight - the ISS around midnight, I believe, and the Shuttle around 12.50am to 1am. We might even see the fuel tank being jettisoned from the Shuttle!

If you don't get to see it tonight, both the ISS and the Shuttle will be visible in the sky for the next two weeks.

We don't get to see them where I am until 11:06 PM and 11:07 Saturday.

Here's a link that gives sighting times around the world.

http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/

Calendar arrive yet? Went out last Friday...airmail, of course...

Hey Phred, yes - wow! I forgot to thank you! It's amazing! Terrific. It's going to be occupying pride of place in my house. A pint is in order if you ever get to this grid reference, or alternatively if I get within a 100m of your current location!

Thank you again!


W

You're welcome, Colm...it's amusing to think of my calendar perhaps hanging in an obscure place in Cork County....

Hmm - I might send you a photo, or photos even!

I once met an ISS Commander.

"The International Space Station (ISS) and the Shuttle pass over Ireland..."

Where's that?

I forgot to look! They announced it on the Weather Forecast, to look in the west at 11:22pm, but I forgot.

Looks like tonight at 10:31 local will be one of the best nights to see the shuttle and ISS from Cork County. A duration of 5 minutes..max elevation 51 degrees...approach 20 degrees above west depart 17 degrees above SE...

Hi Phred! Can you tell me where it will be visible from County Dublin?

The Link in the post above says that Thursday at 10:49 PM and Friday at 11:10 PM might be long duration, high elevation sightings from Dublin County....I don't know if tonight is very good...Duration and elevation immedately follow the time below...

ISS Wed Jun 13/01:19 AM < 1 10 10 above WSW 10 above WSW
ISS Thu Jun 14/00:04 AM 3 25 10 above W 21 above S
ISS Thu Jun 14/10:49 PM 5 42 10 above W 10 above ESE
ISS Fri Jun 15/00:25 AM 2 14 10 above WSW 14 above SSW
ISS Fri Jun 15/11:10 PM 5 27 10 above W 12 above SSE
ISS Sat Jun 16/11:30 PM 3 15 10 above WSW 12 above S

The website www.heavens-above.com is simply excellent for satellite predictions. It's accurate to the second.

I didn't get to see the shuttle on Friday night, which could possibly have been a superb sight, what with the fuel tank and everything. Did anyone see it?

I managed to see them the last two nights though. Really bright. It seems they don't dip into the Earth's shadow either until they are far into the East. That's midsummer for ya.

Another thing about heavens-above : it can pinpoint your location to an amazing degree of accuracy. Here's a couple of locations in their database that should be familiar to you G. They've even calculated the heights above sea-level.

Milltown, Dundrum, Donnybrook, Terenure, Mount Merrion, Stillorgan, Ballyboden, Willbrook, Rathfarnam, Stepaside..