ISS passes Australia, here's what you need to know to spot it

updated

June 24, 2018 00:08:41

Australians are certainly a curious group when it comes to the International Space Station (ISS).

We are one of the best countries in the world to know where and when we will soon see it float in the night sky, according to NASA.

This weekend is a great opportunity to go out for a squiz – whether you are in or around Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne or Perth, you are in for a treat.

Want to have fun? It's easy. Here's what you need to know:

ELI5, what is the ISS?

ISS is jointly owned by the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan.

It has orbited the Earth since 1998, and has been slowly expanding over the years.

The best way to describe it is the "Earth Space Lab," says astrophysicist Brad Tucker.

"If you want to test things in the space, if you want to put things in the space, you have to build an entire satellite or the space station was really a multinational effort to provide that lab with experiments." said Dr. Tucker. .

"Many groups are mounting telescopes or measuring devices around the space station, so instead of building all those individual satellites, you can put them on the space station.

"You also have an astronaut out there, so if something goes wrong, they can work on it, send you data, or fix it, it's really a space lab."

ISS still has at least 10 years of use, and Donald Trump is interested in selling the US stake in this country.

There are currently six crew members on board.

How many times a day does the ISS turn around the Earth?

A lot.

Each orbit is about 90 minutes, so two orbits every three hours, or 16 per day.

It's a lot of sunrises and sunsets for those on board.

It's not as if ISS followed a definite path – the station crosses all parts of the Earth because the orbit "wobbles".

"But many of these times are during the day, or it just goes on the horizon, but because it does so so often, there are many times the space station goes over," he said. said Dr. Tucker.

"Usually, during a given week, you can find a moment when the space station spends the evening in an area close to you."

How will I know when the ISS will fly over?

NASA has its own website "Spot the Station" where you can check the viewing possibilities of nearly 100 locations in Australia up to 10 days in advance.

You can sign up to receive notifications via SMS or e-mail whenever there will be a decent chance of spotting the station.

Generally, you should receive an alert 12 hours before a scheduled observation.

There are also applications for your phone that you can configure for similar alerts.

ISS Detector is one, ISS Spotter is another.

How often can I expect to see the ISS?

Some parts of the world are luckier than others with regards to ISS observations.

Some spots allow only one observation per month, others may receive several per week.

The planets really have to align if you want to see the ISS doing its thing in low Earth orbit.

You need the right one:

• Time: It must be dark where you are. It must be right before sunrise or just after sunset.
• Location: Just like real estate, it's all about "location, location, location". The station must be at 40 degrees or more above the horizon from where you are for it to be visible.
• weather: Clear skies are obviously better, cloudy conditions can ruin your chances of an observation.

Check the three boxes, and you are in a shot!

The ISS must fly over my area. What am I looking for?

A very bright light that moves in the sky – somewhere between an airplane and a shooting star.

"The space station is the brightest moving object in the sky, and it will move quickly across the sky," said Dr. Tucker.

"It moves faster than a plane, but the lights& # 39;I'm blinking, but it's like a shooting star where it's just that moving light.

"It can take anywhere from 20 seconds to a few minutes depending on where it is in orbit."

No need for a telescope either – you can spot the ISS at the naked eye.

Basically, it will look something like this in this video:

I just received an alert about an upcoming ISS appearance. How to decipher the information?

If you sign up for any of these applications mentioned above, you may receive a notification like this:

SpotTheStation! Time: Wed Apr 25 7:45 PM, Visible: 4 min, Max Height: 66 degrees, Appears: WSW, Disappears NE.

To break it down for you:

Time: When the opportunity of observation will start in your local time zone. All observations will occur a few hours before or after sunrise or sunset. This is the period of optimal observation because the sun is reflected on the space station and contrasts with the darker sky.

Visible: The maximum period during which the space station is visible before returning to the horizon.

Maximum height: It represents the height of the space station from the horizon in the night sky. The horizon is at zero degrees, and directly above ninety degrees. If you hold your fist at arm's length and place your fist in the horizon, the top will be about 10 degrees. It is measured in degrees (also known as elevation).

appears: The location in the sky where the station will be visible first. This value, like the maximum height, is also measured in degrees from the horizon. The letters represent the directions of the compass.

Disappears: Represents where, in the night sky, the ISS will leave your field of vision.

So for the example above, the ISS will be visible at 7:45 pm for four minutes. It will appear at 66 degrees above the horizon of the west southwest of your position, and will disappear in the northeast.

Is there anything else I can spot in orbit around the Earth?

Yes, other satellites!

"I would say that if you look at the sky, you will see a satellite every 30 minutes every hour," says Dr. Tucker.

One thing to keep in the eye is for iridium communication satellites and their iridium flares.

"The panels are really reflective, so there will not be a brilliant series like the ISS but there will be a bright flash," said Dr. Tucker.

"So, sometimes, if you see a bright flash, that's what we call an iridium rash, and if the angles are correct, you get a brilliant reflection of those communication satellites."

Here is what it looks like:

Topics:

science and technology,

astronomy, space,

spatialship,

human interest,

exploration of space,

brisbane-4000

canberra-2600,

perth-6000,

Sydney 2000

melbourne-3000

Australia,

qld

First posted

June 23, 2018 08:23:31