[NatureNS] Space Station Passes Between Mars and Orion Tonight

Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:03:00 -0400
From: Eleanor Lindsay <az678@chebucto.ns.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
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Sherman Williams wrote:
> The space station is back in the evening sky and it seems like it may 
> be a clear night tonight, Jan 31. Have a look.
>
> Shortly after 6:51 p.m. the ISS should be seen coming out of the 
> southwest and reaching a peak of 49 degrees shortly after 6:52 p.m., 
> nicely up in the east side of south, passing just above Orion. 
>
> What is really interesting is that seconds later the light from ISS 
> gets eclipsed from us when it enters the edge of Earth's shadow.  As 
> this happens, ISS is just below Mars (the brightest natural object, 
> high in the SE),  and just above Betelgeuse (the bright  "armpit" star 
> of Orion).   Both Mars and Betelgeuse shine with reddish light.  Mars 
> by reflected sunlight, just like the space station.     Betelgeuse is 
> an old star, shining by its own light, the result of nuclear fusion.  
>
> The spacestation is passing just off the south and eastern shore of 
> N.S.( about half a length of N.S. offshore), about 380 km above Earth 
> surface. We see it almost real time. Light from Mars is taking about 6 
> minutes to reach us (about 77 percent of the Sun's distance from us). 
>  Light from Betelgeuse requires about 500 years to reach us (520 ly 
> away from us).
>
> ISS makes a number of good passes during the next two weeks. Check the 
> schedule here: http://web.mac.com/sherm39/iWeb/Site/ISS_Page.html 
>
>
> Sherman Williams
> shermw@xcountry.tv <mailto:shermw@xcountry.tv>
>
> Was it my imagination, or did the space station appear larger and 
> brighter than on other sightings? If so, why - was it closer to us 
> this time?
Eleanor Lindsay

> Eleanor Lindsay

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