AWESOME!! Just seen the ISS for the first time!

[CKemu]

21:07:00 | Lincoln | UK, saw a brilliant white dot gliding West to East whilst setting up my scope. I noted that a) No plane noise, That's almost Jupiter bright, yet the sun is far from down.

So swung my scope around, and tracked in on it as fast as I could, (not even powered my scope up yet, so by hand) and caught a fleeting outline of the ISS!

This is a first for me, and most exciting as I didn't even plan this , now I just need to re-home position my scope lol!

[brantuk]

Excellent sighting and well done getting a glimpse in the scope. It's just incredible everytime it passes I'm allways reminded that there are people up there 250 odd miles into space. Too cloudy to see it here unfortunately

[jabberwocky]

I've just seen it for the first time as well, passed though the Plough at 2132 BST, much easier to spot that I expected, impossible to miss in fact. Caught it fleetingly in my scope, brilliant.

[Andrew*]

Saw it in the scope for the first time yesterday as well. Dead easy to track in my 12" at 45x magnification. I was very surprised to realise it's bigger in the eyepiece than Saturn! Was a bit to fast and bright to get much detail, but the overall structure was plain to see. Just incredible!!

Andrew

[Hig]

saw it tonight also for the first ever time..

have made the upgrade from bins to scope and my heritage 130 came today and amazingly enuf for a scope delivery day I have crystal clear skies, so was out playing with it and it passed over.. i was amazed at the size, speed and brightness of it....

[stick]

still trying to catch it

was it that easy to spot with the eye ?

[philhas]

Another first time for me too, my wife had been gloating at seeing it during the week when I was away. I was surprised at how bright it was as well, managed to grab the bins although couldn't make out any detail then it was off into the clouds.

[Andrew*]

Stick, it's almost as bright as Jupiter - you simply can't miss it! At magnifications up to 70x (I would guess) upwards it's easy to track, and at the upper end you will see detail on it.

Put in your co-ordinates into Heavens-Above Home Page and you can track the passes of any bright satellite, including ISS.

Andrew

[twotter]

You lucky lot! I've got a new target in the sky to find now

[philhas]

Twotter, best get out there tonight, its due over around 9.56 to 10pm, fairly low (low for me as up north) from west to south. Should be at its highest at at 9.58 in the south west.

Good Luck

[chemtom24]

its due for me at 21.56 from west to south, im down in hertfordshire. sky is looking clear for now!! be my first time

[chemtom24]

see above 2 posts, just ioncase u havnt subscribed to this thread

You lucky lot! I've got a new target in the sky to find now

[chemtom24]

hell yea just saw it!!! dragged me mother out to see it as well haha. amazing, people are actually up there in that freakin thing!!!

[mert]

Stick, it's almost as bright as Jupiter - you simply can't miss it! At magnifications up to 70x (I would guess) upwards it's easy to track, and at the upper end you will see detail on it.

Put in your co-ordinates into Heavens-Above Home Page and you can track the passes of any bright satellite, including ISS.

Andrew

Thanks for that link, brillaint, I was looking for something like that.

[ChrisSnape]

Twotter, best get out there tonight, its due over around 9.56 to 10pm, fairly low (low for me as up north) from west to south. Should be at its highest at at 9.58 in the south west.

Good Luck

Now that is something to watch for... Shame the North West is so damn cloudy today! (Same as last night - #Rassssp#)

[harriri2000]

21:07:00 | Lincoln | UK, saw a brilliant white dot gliding West to East whilst setting up my scope. I noted that a) No plane noise, That's almost Jupiter bright, yet the sun is far from down.QUOTE]

Good spot, I remember when I saw the ISS for the for time is amazing. Try this web site

Human Space Flight (HSF) - Realtime Data it's the best one I know, it will let you know when the ISS is flying over your town/city, I think it is better the Heavens above site!

Rich:D

[Adamski]

I saw it last week and was surprised at how bright it was.

[chemtom24]

by my rusty maths i worked out it was travelling around 16,000 mph, can anyone roughly confirm this? its amazing to think that there are people up there travelling that fast around the earth!

[Stargazer Jack]

by my rusty maths i worked out it was travelling around 16,000 mph, can anyone roughly confirm this? its amazing to think that there are people up there travelling that fast around the earth!

Your close but it travels at around 17,500 MPH

[OutThereSomewhere]

Twotter, best get out there tonight, its due over around 9.56 to 10pm, fairly low (low for me as up north) from west to south. Should be at its highest at at 9.58 in the south west.

Good Luck

That was the first time I saw the ISS. I was at the Cumbria Star Party (see the Star Party part of the Forum). If it hadn't been for Albireo380 shouting out to us, I'd have missed it. It was so bright! He also gave us the heads up for a great Irridium flare. It was such an amazing night with so many things to see in those clear skies that I forgot it was my birthday!

[Darkhorse]

I spotted this a week or so ago, at first I thought it was a plane at first, then surprised when i looked through my binoculars and couldn't see anything but the light, no plane outline just a ball of light, then I realised it had to be the ISS, sure enough after checking my Stellarium it confirmed it was indeed the ISS.