Comments on: The Shuttle, the Station, and Orion http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/25/the-shuttle-the-station-and-orion/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:06:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Beth Katz http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/25/the-shuttle-the-station-and-orion/#comment-79494 Beth Katz Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:10:09 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/25/the-shuttle-the-station-and-orion/#comment-79494 I planned to see these and get pictures. I had the camera batteries charged and had rechecked the timings at Heavens-Above. I was going to get two passes in the same night. It was clear at 4pm but mostly overcast by 8pm and with solid clouds in the viewing area. For the second pass, it was solid cloud cover. Drat! Last June, I got this photo: http://www.spacew.com/gallery/image005711.html BA, thanks for sharing your view. I planned to see these and get pictures. I had the camera batteries charged and had rechecked the timings at Heavens-Above. I was going to get two passes in the same night. It was clear at 4pm but mostly overcast by 8pm and with solid clouds in the viewing area. For the second pass, it was solid cloud cover. Drat!

Last June, I got this photo: http://www.spacew.com/gallery/image005711.html

BA, thanks for sharing your view.

]]> By: Joshua Zucker http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/25/the-shuttle-the-station-and-orion/#comment-79493 Joshua Zucker Thu, 27 Mar 2008 04:17:41 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/25/the-shuttle-the-station-and-orion/#comment-79493 Thanks BA! I missed the shuttle but thanks to you I went and checked up on heavens-above.com which I hadn't visited for a while. A bunch of my teacher colleagues went outside tonight and saw the Jules Verne and then the ISS passing almost directly overhead (altitude 70 degrees and 80 degrees) and WAY bright (mag -0.5 and -2.5) at about 8:30pm, late enough for the skies here to be dark and early enough for the ISS to stay lit almost the whole way across the sky. The really awesome part is that we had a light drizzle at about 6pm and I was sure that after telling all my colleagues about it, all we'd see is cloud. But it cleared up really nicely, just a couple little clouds and none in the way! Thanks BA! I missed the shuttle but thanks to you I went and checked up on heavens-above.com which I hadn’t visited for a while.

A bunch of my teacher colleagues went outside tonight and saw the Jules Verne and then the ISS passing almost directly overhead (altitude 70 degrees and 80 degrees) and WAY bright (mag -0.5 and -2.5) at about 8:30pm, late enough for the skies here to be dark and early enough for the ISS to stay lit almost the whole way across the sky.

The really awesome part is that we had a light drizzle at about 6pm and I was sure that after telling all my colleagues about it, all we’d see is cloud. But it cleared up really nicely, just a couple little clouds and none in the way!

]]> By: anonymous_PI http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/25/the-shuttle-the-station-and-orion/#comment-79492 anonymous_PI Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:05:50 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/25/the-shuttle-the-station-and-orion/#comment-79492 @Dave Brigetti : check out J-Track 3D from NASA. http://science.nasa.gov/Realtime/jtrack/3d/JTrack3d.html Completely awesome. @Dave Brigetti : check out J-Track 3D from NASA.
http://science.nasa.gov/Realtime/jtrack/3d/JTrack3d.html

Completely awesome.

]]> By: Nigel Depledge http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/25/the-shuttle-the-station-and-orion/#comment-79491 Nigel Depledge Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:18:41 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/25/the-shuttle-the-station-and-orion/#comment-79491 The BA said: "And remember: all I had here was a tripod, a digital camera, and some foreknowledge. Thatâ??s really all it takes!" Erm, Phil, I think you also had a fourth thing - a clear sky! The BA said:
“And remember: all I had here was a tripod, a digital camera, and some foreknowledge. Thatâ??s really all it takes!”

Erm, Phil, I think you also had a fourth thing - a clear sky!

]]> By: MandyDax http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/25/the-shuttle-the-station-and-orion/#comment-79490 MandyDax Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:05:17 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/25/the-shuttle-the-station-and-orion/#comment-79490 @starcat: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embiggen#Cromulent_and_embiggens" rel="nofollow">Embiggen is a perfectly cromulent word</a>. ~_^ @BA: These are really great photos, especially for all the light pollution across the way. Maybe next time you can talk the neighbor into turning it off for a few minutes. Or maybe, the top of the Flatirons would be a better place to view from. I've been rereading Earthlight, and I can totally imagine that you are one of the astronomers at the Observatory on the Moon. You'd totally be there. @starcat: Embiggen is a perfectly cromulent word. ~_^

@BA: These are really great photos, especially for all the light pollution across the way. Maybe next time you can talk the neighbor into turning it off for a few minutes. Or maybe, the top of the Flatirons would be a better place to view from.

I’ve been rereading Earthlight, and I can totally imagine that you are one of the astronomers at the Observatory on the Moon. You’d totally be there.

]]> By: Palmin http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/25/the-shuttle-the-station-and-orion/#comment-79489 Palmin Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:22:08 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/25/the-shuttle-the-station-and-orion/#comment-79489 Hmm, seems like the URL I posted previously was stripped? Here we go again: Here’s a nice movie of the ATV and ISS: http://allthesky.com/various/issatv19mar08.html Hmm, seems like the URL I posted previously was stripped? Here we go again:

Here’s a nice movie of the ATV and ISS:

http://allthesky.com/various/issatv19mar08.html

]]> By: hale_bopp http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/25/the-shuttle-the-station-and-orion/#comment-79488 hale_bopp Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:55:53 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/25/the-shuttle-the-station-and-orion/#comment-79488 I tried three shots. Unfortunately, only one came out well. When I got the parking lot at the park, another car was about to leave. They saw me setting up a camera and asked what I was doing. I told them about the pass and they decided to stay and watch. It's always nice to share with others. They even were on their cell phones calling friends and family during the passes telling them to go outside! I think it also impressed them that I knew exactly where they would appear and when...the power of science to make preditions. Nice Iridium flare, Courtney. You can see how its brightness changes during the exposure. I tried three shots. Unfortunately, only one came out well.

When I got the parking lot at the park, another car was about to leave. They saw me setting up a camera and asked what I was doing. I told them about the pass and they decided to stay and watch. It’s always nice to share with others. They even were on their cell phones calling friends and family during the passes telling them to go outside! I think it also impressed them that I knew exactly where they would appear and when…the power of science to make preditions.

Nice Iridium flare, Courtney. You can see how its brightness changes during the exposure.

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