In a message dated 9/16/2005 12:42:57 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, Dinogeorge writes: >>Well, the Heavens Above Web site tells me that the ISS is due to pass almost directly over San Diego (my home town) a little after 8 pm Sunday night. It'll be about magnitude -1, so it should be quite a sight, especially as the sun sets on the station shortly after it passes by the zenith point (near Vega) and it fades out of sight. Old hat to everyone else on this list, of course, but nevertheless something I with my aging vision will be able to appreciate. Usually the ISS appears here dimly, something like 10 or 20 degrees above the horizon at magnitude 2 or so, not particularly comfortable for observing in between the houses and trees and such. Therefore, I predict that the sky will be completely overcast Sunday evening, so that I will be unable to enjoy the ISS passover. I make this prediction to test whether the Fates are more interested in letting me see the station, and thus proving me wrong, than in proving me right.<< I realize that the mind slows a bit with age, but I believe I am still capable of reading a satellite ephemeris and accompanying star chart on which is clearly printed that the ISS will appear in the NW on September 18, 2005 at 20:13 Pacific Daylight Time and will pass almost directly overhead in San Diego, California something like 3 minutes later, pretty bright at magnitude -0.9. After all, Vega is clearly marked on the chart and, by golly, IT was right where it was supposed to be, almost directly overhead. The sky was clear, the moon was just rising a day past full (so I know where, say, EAST is), and the ISS? Well, the ISS was NOT THERE. I began watching shortly before 8 pm Sunday night, eyes glued to the NW, 11x80 binoculars strapped around my neck. When my watch said 8:15 and no sign of the ISS I began to wonder what was going on. I did spot a few airliners and a helicopter during my little vigil, and to amuse myself scanned the moon's face as it slowly climbed upward from the horizon. By 8:30 I decided that I had somehow misread the chart and that maybe I should re-emerge around 9:00 in case the chart had given standard time by mistake rather than daylight time. Nope, no ISS at 9:15 either. By then evening clouds were gathering, but a few stars were still visible through the haze and I don't think I could have missed something as bright as the ISS. I simply dunno what happened; something is definitely amiss with the Heavens Above website. The evening was rather a bust after that. The same chart says the ISS will pass over San Diego again from the NW on Tuesday evening at about 7:30 pm, not quite as high or as bright. Will I waste more time looking then? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Sep 19 2005 - 02:29:37 EDT