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(SNES) Bright Satellite Passes
Hi everyone,Just thought I would share the current time schedule for the
passes of the International Space Station, some really brilliant flares from
the Iridium satellite cluster of 68 individual satellites, and the Hubble
Space Telescope. I compiled the below timetables from the Heavens Above
website at:
http://www.heavens-above.com
Heavens Above updates the satellite pass schedules hourly or so to maintain
maximum accuracy, and I have begun referencing this timetable prior to an
observing session, just to add enhancement to the evening's events.
I was able to witness two brilliant Iridium flares (-4 mag and -7 mag), and
a transit of ISS at 1.2 magnitude last night, all within a time span of less
than half an hour. It was neat that even with a full moon in the sky, ISS
was glaringly unmistakable throughout its entire transit from the
northwestern horizon to the eastern horizon. ISS will be making two easily
visible passes this evening, at magnitudes 0.4 and 1.6, as well as another
brilliant flare from Iridium satellite 46. As can be seen from the schedule
below, this
all begins just before 7:00 PM, and concludes just before 8:30 PM.
The actual brightness of the flares produced by the sun's reflection from 1
of the 3 parabolic dish antennas the Iridium satellites are equipped with is
directly related to your geographic position. Maximum brightness can be as
high as mag -8 if you are located
exactly in the center of the reflection's path across the ground (sorta like
being at the center of totality for a solar eclipse). But a
variation of just a couple miles to either side of the path's centerline
makes a dramatic difference. The table included here is
based on my location at Wilbraham, MA, so will not be a true representation
of the brightness seen from other locations.
A beginning time only is given for the Iridium flares, because they last
just 4 to 10 seconds or so, as the satellite reaches that exact point in its
orbit which allows the concentrated beam of reflected sunlight to strike
your eyes at your exact geographic location. If you haven't experienced one
of these flares, you will be amazed at the brilliance they can achieve.
When one occurs at -7 to -8 mag, they are even easily visible in the middle
of the bright daytime sky. Heavens Above provides a table for those daytime
flares too. I had fun at work last Wednesday with this. I told several of
my co-workers there was going to be a brilliant flash in the sky at exactly
3:07 PM. Seven disbelieving people accompanied me to the parking lot at
3:05, and right on schedule, Iridium 66 flashed at -8 for about 5 seconds.
All were amazed.
When you open the web page at Heavens Above, select your geographic location
from their database (or for greatest accuracy, input your latitude and
longitude coordinates if known), and the displayed table will be calculated
correctly for you. If you save your input before logging off, the tables
will automatically be correct for you from then on at future visits to the
site.
Here's a set of tables based on my own location that I assembled by copying
and pasting from the web page to Windows Notepad. It will be accurate for
any observers in New England + or - 2 minutes or less. The Iridium
brightness predictions are accurate only for my own location. The first
table is a chronological composite that I assembled from the three
individual tables below it. I have this file saved on my computer's desktop
as a clickable icon for ease of reference:
COMBINED CHRONOLOGICAL SATELLITE PASS SCHEDULE:
Date Start Position Mag End Position
Satellite
06 Oct 18:52:16 100 SW -0.4 18:58:29 100 ENE ISS
06 Oct 19:59:33 480 SE -4
Iridium 46
06 Oct 20:28:56 100 WNW 1.6 20:31:08 230 NW ISS
07 Oct 05:00:32 400 SSW -1 Iridium
41
07 Oct 19:29:21 100 W 0.6 19:34:32 160 NE ISS
07 Oct 19:53:33 470 SE -0
Iridium 49
08 Oct 20:07:05 100 WNW 1.7 20:09:56 180 N ISS
09 Oct 19:07:07 100 W 1.2 19:12:38 100 NE ISS
09 Oct 20:44:46 100 NW 2.7 20:45:08 110 NNW ISS
10 Oct 05:06:49 100 S 4.3 05:08:43 100 SSE HST
10 Oct 06:16:56 470 N -3
Iridium 68
10 Oct 19:44:43 100 NW 1.8 19:47:58 140 NNE ISS
11 Oct 05:10:48 120 S 4.1 05:13:22 100 SSE HST
11 Oct 06:10:57 450 N -7
Iridium 75
11 Oct 18:44:27 100 WNW 1.5 18:49:25 100 NE ISS
11 Oct 20:21:54 100 NNW 2.2 20:22:50 130 NNW ISS
12 Oct 05:14:45 130 S 4.0 05:17:30 100 SSE HST
12 Oct 19:21:47 100 NW 1.9 19:25:23 110 NNE ISS
13 Oct 05:18:40 130 SSW 4.0 05:21:22 100 SSE HST
13 Oct 19:58:22 100 NNW 1.8 19:59:58 150 N ISS
14 Oct 05:22:35 120 SSW 4.0 05:24:58 100 SSE HST
IRIDIUM SATELLITE FLARE SCHEDULE:
Date Time Mag Alt Azimuth Satellite
06 Oct 19:59:33 -4 480 1330 SE Iridium 46
07 Oct 05:00:32 -1 400 2100 SSW Iridium 41
07 Oct 19:53:33 -0 470 1340 SE Iridium 49
10 Oct 06:16:56 -3 470 70 N Iridium 68
11 Oct 06:10:57 -7 450 70 N Iridium 75
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE SCHEDULE:
Pass Starts: Maximum Pass Ends:
Date Mag Time Position Altitude Time Position
10 Oct 4.3 05:06:49 100 S 110 S 05:08:43 100 SSE
11 Oct 4.1 05:10:48 120 S 120 S 05:13:22 100 SSE
12 Oct 4.0 05:14:45 130 S 130 S 05:17:30 100 SSE
13 Oct 4.0 05:18:40 130 SSW 130 S 05:21:22 100 SSE
14 Oct 4.0 05:22:35 120 SSW 120 S 05:24:58 100 SSE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SCHEDULE:
Pass Starts: Maximum Pass Ends:
Date Mag Time Position Altitude Time Position
06 Oct -0.4 18:52:16 100 SW 580 SE 18:58:29 100 ENE
06 Oct 1.6 20:28:56 100 WNW 230 NW 20:31:08 230 NW
07 Oct 0.6 19:29:21 100 W 380 NNW 19:34:32 160 NE
08 Oct 1.7 20:07:05 100 WNW 190 NNW 20:09:56 180 N
09 Oct 1.2 19:07:07 100 W 270 NNW 19:12:38 100 NE
09 Oct 2.7 20:44:46 100 NW 110 NNW 20:45:08 110 NNW
10 Oct 1.8 19:44:43 100 NW 160 N 19:47:58 140 NNE
11 Oct 1.5 18:44:27 100 WNW 210 NNW 18:49:25 100 NE
11 Oct 2.2 20:21:54 100 NNW 130 NNW 20:22:50 130 NNW
12 Oct 1.9 19:21:47 100 NW 150 N 19:25:23 110 NNE
13 Oct 1.8 19:58:22 100 NNW 150 N 19:59:58 150 N
I update these tables every week or so.
Visit Heavens Above and enhance your own observing sessions with an element
of man's achievements in space that are taken all too much for granted
now...
Enjoy,
Les Lytton
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