Tonight (February 18th), at approximately 5:47pm the International Space Station (ISS)passed overhead in the Los Angeles area.
It began in the Northwest Sky, just over the mountains, and rose straight above our heads and disappeared into the clouds in the Southeast horizon. It was traveling at more than 17,000 mph. The total elapsed time for it to "pass over us" was approximately 3 minutes.
If you've never seen it before, it just looks like a bright star moving in the sky. Its the brightest object in the sky and its moving faster than an airplane. Visible passes of the ISS happen when the timing of the orbit is just right and light from the setting (or rising) Sun is reflected off of the body and solar panels of the ISS.
I also saw the ISS pass over two days ago as well (Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008) at approximately 6:40pm. Since it was darker in the evening so the ISS appeared very bright. I would compare the brightness to an airplane with its landing gear/lights on.
Someone told me that the lower the magnitude value the brighter the object. For perspective, a full moon is rated at a magnitude of -12.7. Venus, at its brightest, is a -4.4, while Sirius (brightest star) has a magnitude of -1.44.
My wife and I were getting into the car to go to dinner with my parents and visiting sister and her husband when we saw the ISS pass Saturday night. I really wanted my 4 year old daughter to see it - even at such a young age she is fascinated with space, stars, planets and the moon. Since she knows that planets don't twinkle - she loves to pick them out amongst the twinkling stars. So far, we've only been able to see Mars (very clearly) and Saturn (she found Saturn by herself!).
Anyways, I really wanted her to see the ISS pass. Earlier today I explained to her that the International Space Station was going to pass overhead and she got very excited. I tried to quell her excitement by explaining that it will "just look like a star" but she was still very excited. All day she kept saying, "When are we going to see the space station?"
Growing up - the only concept of a space station (a real, live space station with people living in it, etc) that I had was something out of Star Wars. While I knew that we had space ships, shuttles and rockets - the concept of "a space station" never was "real" for me.
I find it interesting that my kids will grow up with the reality of space stations as part of their consciousness and vocabulary - not just in a movie or a stretch of the imagination.
So tonight, right at dusk around 5:40pm we walked outside and waited to see "the space station" that never existed for me growing up. I sort of laughed to myself while I was waiting for "the space station" to appear.....for a second, I would think like a kid and look up at the sky and expect to see an Imperial Stars Destroyer rumble and appear over the trees. Sort of like the opening scene of Star Wars.
Unlike Saturday night's viewing, it was kinda cloudy and hazy tonight. The clock ticked to almost 5:50pm and none of us saw anything in the sky. Then, my wife spotted it right over us. My daughter got to see it pass over us. She got so excited. She shouted, "Dad, I see the space station!" She'd lose sight of it for a second and then she'd shout the same thing again.
She actually saw a real, damned space station! It was my first time as well.
Next up, Wednesday Night we get to see a Total Lunar Eclipse here in LA!
