[meteorite-list] Space Station Visible To Naked Eye In Days Ahead

[JoshuaTreeMuseum]

Space station will be visible to naked eye in days ahead
By MEG MIRSHAK
Tribune Staff Writer

Michiana residents have a rare opportunity to see a spaceship in the sky 
during the upcoming week.

The international space station, in orbit 250 miles above the Earth, will be 
visible to those looking upward in the area.

"It will look like a very, very bright star, similar to what Venus looks 
like in the morning," said Art Klinger, director of the Penn-Harris-Madison 
School Corp. Planetarium in Mishawaka.


The round, bright light will be visible for only about two to five minutes 
each day until Sept. 10, Klinger said. Scientists believe the shining light 
should be at optimal viewing here Tuesday when it passes directly overhead 
with its brightest magnitude for five minutes, he said.

"It should be dazzling," Klinger said. "Anybody can see it. You just have to 
step outside and look."

The space shuttle Discovery is currently docked on the space station, he 
said.

Indiana native and Notre Dame alumnus Kevin A. Ford is piloting the mission 
launched Aug. 28.

Ford, 49, is from Montpelier, Ind., north of Muncie.

He requested the shuttle crew's wake-up call from Houston be the Indiana 
University fight song Tuesday morning, in honor of his late brother, IU 
alumnus and former state Sen. David Ford.

"Good morning, Houston," Kevin Ford said from aboard Discovery after hearing 
the song. "Thank you for the wake-up music. That song reminds me of my 
wonderful home state of Indiana ... also reminds me of my oldest brother, 
David, who was the first one to ever strap me in to the cockpit of an 
airplane."

Sunlight reflecting off the space station makes the orbiter visible with the 
naked eye, but using binoculars allows one to more clearly discern the 
shape, Klinger said.

"With a telescope, one might even be able to see the shuttle attached, " he 
said.

Space station visibility depends on the Earth's rotation, and Michiana is 
positioned for the space station to move directly overhead this week, 
Klinger said. Other times it can be viewed low in the sky for a shorter 
period of time, he said.

Staff writer Meg Mirshak:
mmirshak at sbtinfo.com

Viewing the space station
P-H-M Planetarium Director Art Klinger said the space station can be viewed 
with the naked eye during clear weather this week. Look for a bright light 
rising in the southwest.

-This morning from 5:56 to 6.

-Friday from 6:22 to 6:24 a.m.

-Saturday for less than a minute at 9:36 p.m.

-Sunday from 10 to 10:02 p.m.

-Monday from 8:50 to 8:55 p.m. and 10:25 to 10:27 p.m.

-Sept. 8 from 9:15 to 9:20 p.m.

-Sept. 9 from 9:40 to 9:44 p.m.

-Sept. 10 from 8:29 to 8:35 p.m. and from 10:05 to 10:08 p.m.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What are the best times?
The light should shine brightest on Sept. 8 and around 8:30 p.m. Sept. 10.

http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20090903/News01/909030351/1129/News

Don't blink or you might miss it!
Phil Whitmer