https://spotthestation.nasa.go..._Marcos#.W6gDbU5lBTs

Change to your location

I will be now, thanks.

I had an app on my phone that would text me every time the space station would be visible from my location. It was cool the first few times, then I deleted it.

Yes, we look for it often - you need to hit the sweet spot of just after sunset or just before sunrise so it's dark(ish) where you are yet the station is illuminated by the sun. It's very easy to see then with the naked eye, like a star streaking across the horizon. It moves very quick and if high in the sky, is gone in a matter of 5-ish (?) minutes.

Saw it last night. Very bright and moving fast.

I get email notifications - I have tried to pre-position my telescope to try to catch it in the field of view but I don't have an accurate enough plot of its coordinates to get my scope into the neighborhood

It's moving very fast, you may have an issue getting a telescope on it. I'd recommend binos after you pick it up with the naked eye.

Also pick one of the higher angle views - although you may be able to pick up some of the <30deg opportunities, the 50+ degree ones are the best and easiest to see.

there is no way I can track it - I just have to get it to pass through my field of view - probably about a one second view at best...but with my scope and a 25mm eyepiece, its like looking through a drinking straw

Yep! I signed up for email alerts, and as a matter of fact, saw it last night. It never gets old.

I think I’ve been following it for 4 years now.

Somewhere I have some long exposure pics of it passing overhead.

Sky View is a really cool ap available for android and apple. It shows most visible stars, planets, constellations, satellites, ISS, Hubble, space junk, etc and their trajectories/paths. Just turn it on, calibrate your location, and start pointing your pone's camera and it will tell you what's in that direction. It's a very addictive ap. The basic version is free. I recommend the $1.99 upgrade.

https://play.google.com/store/...11.skyviewfree&hl=en

Yep.

Even after a career in the Air Force, I still run outside when I hear low flying aircraft. LOL.

And I look at thing's "up there" whenever I can.

I remember seeing the Shuttle and Mir after the shuttle had separated and was going to return.

Was in the mid 90s and moving south to north, the shuttle was trailing.

Mir was an orange, between Mars and Jupiter hue. The shuttle was like Venus or Saturn.

The transit lasted maybe 45 seconds.


Funny. I took my girls out to look at comets, planet conjuctions and telescope sunspots.

A couple of guys were Shuttle pilots and one time they got to talk to the Shuttle over and internet feed during a mission.

Also took them out from infancy and showed them spiders, lizards, snakes and frogs.

They and the grandchildren are all interested in the sciences, animal husbandry, botany and such.

Funny, I was doing it because I liked seeing the reactions when they saw things for the first time. Never thought about later.

My inner 8 year old is still in charge of life...

Used to go out and look up almost any time it was transiting.

I saw it once!

A bucket list item for me was witnessing a shuttle launch. Got to go see the last night launch... almost daybreak actually.

Anyway, while waiting on the launch the guy next to me nudged me and pointed out the Station crossing overhead at an angle. That was cool! Then he added... watch, thats the way the shuttle will go when it launches. It will follow / chase the station and catch up with it he said. The Shuttle did follow same path, right after the Station, duh, I had just never thought about it.

As soon as the launch was over everyone bailed but we stayed to watch the sunrise. Glad we did, an amazing sight followed. The sun lit up the shuttles contrail. Because of different refraction at the different altitudes the contrail lit up in different colors as the winds blew it away. I thought it was amazing in person, wished I done a better job of capturing it.

I have seen it many times, however, you do have to be aware of course, time, and direction and length of observation time is critical.

Usually I see it while walking my dogs late in the eveing in the summer. where there is an open horizon. Around my house has too many trees for viewing.

It passed by tonight , but our clouds blocked it.

As an aside, we got 6 inches of rain in 2 hours last night. Washed 13 areas out, roads closed, I was driving back home from bike riding the Jackson River Trail, from north of Roanoke to Rocky Mount was impossible amost to drive!

To cool, just watched it overhead for six minutes!

I have my night sky astronomy app notify me of flyovers. Go out with the kids at times to watch with Binoculars. Never gets old, even big kids get to dream

I used to go out and look at it a few years after launch, around 2000. A pilot friend of mine who lived in the same building had access to a website/some info on when it was coming overhead and we'd take binos to the roof top. It would be in visible for a few minutes.

Got me thinking I should look at it again! It's much larger now.

Extra points if you hear radio signals directly from the ISS.

Looking at the ISS is one of my favorite things to see in the evening sky. Good stuff.

I've tried to work the ISS "digipeater" on packet radio or APRS a few times. Too much wet foliage blocking. Come winter and bare trees, I'll be trying again.

I'm pretty sure my generation was the last that wanted to be astronauts when we grew up...

I got the “ISS Spotter” app from the Apple App Store. It shows where the ISS is now, and can be set to alert you of good viewing opportunities – and the quality of the opportunity. I think NASA made the app.