![]() Scant molecules of oxygen and nitrogen, the main ingredients of the air we breathe, absorb ultraviolet (UV) light and X-rays from the sun and heat up. The layer gets it name from the temperature, which climbs steeply from -184° (-120° C) at its base to as high as 3,600° F (2,000° C) near the top. The space station sails through the thermosphere, which starts at 56 miles (90 km) up and reaches to about 620 miles (1,000 km). Granted, 99 percent of the gases that make up the atmosphere are found in the first 20 miles (32 km) above the surface, but there's still air up there, thin as it may be. Is considered to begin - the station nonetheless travels through the Earth's atmosphere. “The ISS will be constantly bright as it glides across the sky.”Įditor's note: This story was originally published on June 2 and has been updated.Although it orbits about 257 miles (414 km) high - well above the 62-mile-limit (100 km) where “It will also be brighter than most of the stars out, but it won’t be flickering,” Haynes says. What Will the ISS Look Like During the Flyovers?īasically, it will be about as bright and swift-moving as an airplane flying overhead, only without the red and green navigation lights. ![]() ![]() The ISS will be visible to the naked eye. A compass app, which is available on practically every type of smartphone these days, also will help. The SatelliteTracker is also available for both phone types and offers a real-time view of the sky that will pinpoint the current location of the ISS. If you’re using an Android device, try the ISS Detector. If you’ve got an iPhone, we recommend using the ISS Spotter app, which has a built-in compass to help you locate the ISS. You can remain in your front or back yards and still see the flyovers.Īre There Any Apps You Can Use to Help See the Flyovers? The flyovers on Thursday and Friday nights will be higher in the sky and brighter than on other nights this week. Pretty much anywhere the nighttime sky is visible. Where Is the Best Place to See the ISS Flyovers? The current weather forecast calls for nothing but clear skies over the next week, which means optimal viewing will be available every night the ISS is visible. Thursday, September 17 (Best Opportunity)Įlevation: 52 degrees above the horizon (basically overhead) Here's a full rundown of when and where to look: Slightly less visible flyovers will take place on Tuesday, September 15 Wednesday, September 16 and Sunday, September 20. on Thursday, September 17, and beginning at 6:44 p.m. The brightest and most prominent viewings will happen beginning at 7:31 p.m. You’ll have a total of five opportunities to catch highly visible flyovers of Arizona by the ISS. Every few weeks, some of the station’s nighttime orbits are more visible because its solar panels will reflect more sunlight than usual. Why Will the ISS Be More Visible Over Arizona This Week?Īs we said, the ISS passes over Arizona a few times each day while orbiting the Earth. ![]() Here’s everything you’ll need to know in order to do it. If you’d like to spot the station during its flyover (or wave at the astronauts inside), the good news is that you can do it from your front or back yard. ![]() “It will be bright for several minutes and then go dim and almost disappear.” “It's rather sudden and spectacular,” Haynes says. Each of these highly visible passes will last anywhere from three to eight minutes and will resemble an airplane jetting across the sky. This week, those highly visible passes will happen nightly from Tuesday, September 15, to Sunday, September 20, as the ISS reflects sunlight from its numerous solar panels before entering the Earth’s shadow. “A lot of these passes will be low to the horizon, but sometimes the station will come directly overhead and will look like a bright, first magnitude star that's moving across the sky.” “There are only a few orbits where reflects enough sunlight to be visible from a certain location,” Haynes says. The station, which is approximately 254 miles above the Earth, regularly passes over Arizona as it orbits our planet every 90 minutes, but only becomes visible at night a handful of times each month. “It's fun and always causes some ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs.’" “Whenever the International Space Station flies overhead, it's pretty spectacular,” Haynes says. The International Space Station will buzz our state during the next few nights when it makes several highly visible passes.Īnd folks like Claude Haynes of the East Valley Astronomy Club say it's a sight worth seeing, even if it only lasts for a few minutes. Skywatchers of Arizona can catch a glimpse of the Earth’s largest man-made object in orbit this week as it glides overhead. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |