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I just saw the ISS!


Hayduke27

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I know this isn't such a big deal, but I haven't had the chance to see this since I really got in to astronomy.  I have seen a number of satellites, but kept missing the space station.  I just got an alert through Sky Safari and stepped out to see it pass over, not sure what to expect.  My view is partially blocked from my yard, so I couldn't see anything until it was relatively high in the sky, passing from southwest to east.  By the time it got up near Altair, it was far brighter than either Altair or Vega!  I had my binoculars on hand, so I observed through them, though I could not make out any detail.  Just a very bright object moving through the sky.  I watched it for about 2 minutes or so before it got lower on the eastern horizon and faded away in a matter of about 5 seconds. 

 

That was cool!  :bino2:

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Wow! What are the chances? You and I saw the same pass! I was outside waiting for it at about 6:00pm. Have you tried looking at it through the telescope? I did that for this pass and I saw an incredible amount of detail. Glad to know I  have a fellow astronomer nearby! Clear skies!

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I have probably seen it hundreds of times and still brings a smile to my face. Seeing it might not be such a "such a big deal", especially after a few times, its existence is though. Congratulations on seeing it for the 1st time, maybe you might get a glimpse through your scope nest time. Is moving very fast and hard to keep in the field of view, even with a very low power eyepiece.

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It's a lovely sight, I watch whenever I get the chance. Binos don't reveal too much so I tend to just watch it with the naked eye and relax :) 

Through a scope it is great every now and then. I think I've tracked it at around x50 or perhaps more, and the detail is amazing. If you catch it low down you it is moving more slowly and is easier, although best detail is when it is overhead and moving quickly, very tricky to follow then!

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I use the ISS tracker app, and we were with fiends in Spain last year when I got a similar notification.  We all went outside and had a wonderful pass from the ISS and they were amazed and couldn't believe what they were watching.

What a great story and so glad you enjoyed it.  Try the same with friends who are not in to astronomy and see their amazement as I did, it's a lovely experience.

Well done you :thumbright:

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It IS pretty cool to catch the ISS. Sometime last year, my Skyguide app alerted me to a flyby just around sunset. I spotted it in my binoculars and likewise switched to naked eyes as it flew straight up and over my house here in Japan.  Worth a gander IMHO. 

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Thanks for sharing this.
The ISS is great, I always try and catch it when clear.

I subscribed to a NASA ISS tracker that e-mails me when it will be visible over my location the next day, so I know in advance.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj1_ICts-TXAhUJIsAKHV1zARUQFggsMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fspotthestation.nasa.gov%2Fsightings%2F&usg=AOvVaw1bJSABZA-UlsUzJD2iSXXt

Like others say, its still makes me smile each time I observe it. 

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15 minutes ago, Alan White said:

Thanks for sharing this.
The ISS is great, I always try and catch it when clear.

I subscribed to a NASA ISS tracker that e-mails me when it will be visible over my location the next day, so I know in advance.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj1_ICts-TXAhUJIsAKHV1zARUQFggsMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fspotthestation.nasa.gov%2Fsightings%2F&usg=AOvVaw1bJSABZA-UlsUzJD2iSXXt

Like others say, its still makes me smile each time I observe it. 

Thanks for that Link, Alan.  I've just signed up, took less than a minute and ideal to get plenty of advanced warning.

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  • 3 weeks later...

We had another really bright flyover by the ISS 2 nights ago, almost straight overhead.  This time I called a couple of friends and alerted them to step out and see it.  Everyone saw it and enjoyed the experience.  Pretty cool!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I saw it for the first time a few months ago.  I was so excited I called my brother and got him started looking for it  too.  It is a big deal (IMHO).  Thanks for all the posts.

I drive down to the national wildlife refuge a few mile south of here whenever I get a report of a good flyover, because the visible horizon is so much better and the sky is so much darker there than here in town.  I wait with a thermos of hot chocolate and when it blinks into view exactly where it's supposed to at exactly the right time, it never fails to amaze me and it always makes my day.  I think about those guys up there and the awesome work they are doing.

Actually, this is my first post.  I am so new to this that I just bought my first telescope last week, and so far I have already spent an inordinate amount of time shivering outside while setting up the polar alignment, the finder scope, etc, learning how the RA and Dec work, observing the moon (every night a little more is revealed), and I've seen a lot of other cool things already; the pleides and the great nebula in orion to name just a few.  I've been interested in astronomy since I was a kid, read a lot about it throughout my life, but never I could afford to get my own telescope.  Now here I am, retired at 63, living in a place with a lot of clear dark nights, and I finally have one.  So jazzed!

Jay

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8 minutes ago, Jay F said:

I saw it for the first time a few months ago.  I was so excited I called my brother and got him started looking for it  too.  It is a big deal (IMHO).  Thanks for all the posts.

I drive down to the national wildlife refuge a few mile south of here whenever I get a report of a good flyover, because the visible horizon is so much better and the sky is so much darker there than here in town.  I wait with a thermos of hot chocolate and when it blinks into view exactly where it's supposed to at exactly the right time, it never fails to amaze me and it always makes my day.  I think about those guys up there and the awesome work they are doing.

Actually, this is my first post.  I am so new to this that I just bought my first telescope last week, and so far I have already spent an inordinate amount of time shivering outside while setting up the polar alignment, the finder scope, etc, learning how the RA and Dec work, observing the moon (every night a little more is revealed), and I've seen a lot of other cool things already; the pleides and the great nebula in orion to name just a few.  I've been interested in astronomy since I was a kid, read a lot about it throughout my life, but never I could afford to get my own telescope.  Now here I am, retired at 63, living in a place with a lot of clear dark nights, and I finally have one.  So jazzed!

Jay

I can relate to the love of seeing the ISS! Never gets old. Am I correct in assuming that you got your profile picture from the ISS live stream? I watch that steam too! So cool

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You're right!  And it is cool. I have the ISSonLive app on my cell and I hate to admit how much time I spend watching it :-)  Right now, actually, watching the sunset as they fly over the tip of South America... it is just so amazing.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/29/2017 at 18:47, Jay F said:

You're right!  And it is cool. I have the ISSonLive app on my cell and I hate to admit how much time I spend watching it :-)  Right now, actually, watching the sunset as they fly over the tip of South America... it is just so amazing.

That's the app I frequently use, too. I have over 700 screenshots I've taken over the years! ?

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I have only recently discovered it, so I only have a few so far.  It's hard to catch it when it's over a continent in good weather.  And it's not always clear exactly where the camera is pointed.  Sometimes I am expecting to see some land mass and it doesn't seem to be visible :-(

Is the photos on your ID taken from there?  That is terrific!  I have seen the astronauts inside, but I haven't been fortunate enough to see one outside yet.  Maybe someday...I still spend a lot of time watching it.

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No, It's just a picture taken by an astronaut. :)  I do have some of those, though. I sometimes use N2YO to find out when the ISS will pass over a given location. I find this useful. I can also look at the weather for that part of the world online, to make sure it's even worth looking.

I actually just posted a few of my pictures in a new album:

 

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I don't go out of my way to see the iss but have never tired of seeing it. Once I got it in view in my ST120 on an AZ4 and followed it manually across over 90 degrees of sky. It was very exciting like playing some kind of video game! It looked like a super bright multicoloured rugbyball shaped blob flying through the stars.

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