thanks for the tip. every time i remember to look i never have seen it. any tips? i'm gonna check the link later for more info.schwlind - 11-15-2008 at 12:54 PM
Living about 35 miles north of Kennedy Space Center... I viewed the launch last night... as always with a night launch... it was spectacular!elgatoloco - 11-15-2008 at 02:00 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by schwlind
Living about 35 miles north of Kennedy Space Center... I viewed the launch last night... as always with a night launch... it was spectacular!
I would love to be able to witness a launch live. I was on the base at Edwards when STS 4 landed on July 4th 1982. It was quite a sight. I later got
within 500 yards of the vehicle as it sat on the end of the runway with all the guys in funny suits walking around it. I was not allowed to take a
picture.
I just read where there is talk about extending the shuttle program a few more years. We shall see.elgatoloco - 11-15-2008 at 02:23 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by woody in ob
thanks for the tip. every time i remember to look i never have seen it. any tips? i'm gonna check the link later for more info.
I like to get out to the coast or anywhere with a clear view of the horizon. Start looking at the sky early and let my eyes adjust to the light. Look
at the other objects in the sky as they appear (stars,planets,planes) and check out the relative brightness. The ISS on the 19th will be the brightest
thing in the sky (Mag -2) when it pops above the horizon and will be moving very fast. It should be visble for at least four minutes (longer if your
up in the moutains) and that is a pretty long time. The fact that the station is as big as it's ever been and the shuttle will be attached helps.
Sunset is at 16:45
Civil twilight 17:11
ISS at horizon 17:48 231° (SW )
Below is description from website splainin' Mag -
Definition of "magnitude"
This is a measure of the brightness of a celestial object. The lower the value, the brighter the object, so magnitude -4 is brighter than magnitude
0, which is in turn brighter than magnitude +4. The scale is logarithmic, and a difference of 5 magnitudes means a brightness difference of exactly
100 times. A difference of one magnitude corresponds to a brightness difference of around 2.51 (the fifth root of 100).
The system was started by the ancient Greeks, who divided the stars into one of six magnitude groups with stars of the first magnitude being the first
ones to be visible after sunset. In modern times, the scale has been extended in both directions and more strictly defined.
Examples of magnitude values for well-known objects are; Sun -26.7 (about 400 000 times brighter than full Moon!)
Full Moon -12.7
Brightest Iridium flares -8
Venus (at brightest) -4.4
International Space Station -2
Sirius (brightest star) -1.44
Limit of human eye +6 to +7
Limit of 10x50 binoculars +9
Pluto +14
Limit of Hubble Space Telescope +30
