| Visual Satellite Tracking Harley Davidsons are my number one hobby, but a close second is astronomy and satellite observing. All you really need to observe satellites is to simply look up! I have a couple of pairs of binoculars including the Miyauchis below, but all you really need are some good 10 X 50's for observing satellites. I've had all sorts of telescopes and other optical aids but always come back to the binoculars. With stereo Vision it's hard to beat the sights that unfold before you on a clear moonless night! I got bit by the satellite bug one night while observing the many Binocular asterisms that are see able with everyday binoculars. On that particular night I saw a satellite cross my field of view through the binoculars. It was flashing and moving very fast. It was a fantastic sight! I followed it across the sky as it passed through countless star fields. Man, I was hooked! I wondered if I came out the next night and looked at the same time and in roughly the same spot would I see that satellite again? So the next night I set everything up and waited...same time, same place in the sky...no satellite. Hmm. That started my quest for trying to learn when satellites would transit my piece of sky and when I would be able to see them. Little did I know, weeks later I would be researching and reading everything I could get my hands on about Orbital Mechanics, Physics, Astronomy, Rocket Propulsion, Mathematics, and of course all about satellite construction life cycles and launch methods. It really opened up a whole new world for me! If you or your kids have ever looked up into the sky on a beautiful clear night, and have seen a satellite pass and wondered...then this hobby just might be for you. One of the satellites I enjoy watching is the ISS. The International Space Station. This is an easy target to practice your hunting techniques on. The best thing is that you can see it with your naked eye. The only thing you need to know is when and where to look for it as it crosses our skies every 90 minutes or so. This page and it's links will give you the information needed to start your hunt for the ISS. Once you can find the ISS on a regular basis, you can then move on to more difficult targets. I have watched the ISS since it's inception. I have seen it being built in space. A fantastic sight through big binoculars (20-40 power). It is also very very easy to see with your naked eye. The ISS will go around the entire earth in as little as 90 minutes! There are about two weeks out of every month that you can see the ISS fly over your house! Usually a week in the early morning and a week in the early evening. The rest of the time it is in Earth's shadow. I have picked the evening passes because I know how most of us like to sleep in! I have shown some people at Harley Rallies sitting around a camp fire the ISS speeding by overhead. It has always sparked some interesting conversations. Now you can determine when and where the ISS will fly overhead just by clicking on the link below. This link will be constantly updated so, grab the kids, a compass and go hunt down the ISS! Happy Hunting!! A couple of tips before your first hunting session. 1. Read the link below (Beginners guide to Satellite Observing) 2. Grab a compass and orientate yourself with your surroundings. Find North, South, East and West. 3. Calibrate your computer or watch to atomic time (Click here for the correct time) 4. Click on the Current Pass Predictions for the ISS (International Space Station) for Central Germany 5. Use the Pass Prediction info to know where and when to look! (See below for instructions on how to read the Pass Prediction format) While reading these instructions, you can refer back and forth to the example Pass prediction tables given in the green link below: The way to read this table format is to find the day you wish to observe on the left, then read right for pass info. Example: Lets say we want to see the ISS on the 22nd of Apr 06. Find 22 Apr 06 on the left side of the table. Then read across from left to right. Disregard "Mag". (The ISS will always be bright enough for naked eye observing). Go on to the next square where it says "Starts". This shows the "time", the "Alt" and the "Az" (Alt refers to how high above the horizon the ISS will appear in degrees of altitude. Az. or Azimuth referes to the cardinal coordinates IE. North, South, West and East that the ISS will appear to come from.) Tip: Here is a quick way to judge Altitude. Hold out your hand at arms length in front of you with your thumb held flat against your fore finger, if you bend your wrist inward you will be looking at your palm. Place your little finger on the horizon, and your fore finger will be just at about 10 degrees off of the horizon. So, for example, 30 degrees Altitude, you would just visualize your hand being placed on top of it self three times. Your fore finger would be at the 30 degree altitude and so on). Back to our example, our example says "start Altitude" will be 10 degrees above the horizon. This is just about impossible to see unless you are out in the dessert or on the ocean. There is almost always a building, or tree or atmospheric glow that will prevent you from seeing that low on the horizon. A 20 degree fore casted pass is probably the lowest I would try to find the ISS at. The Az or Azimuth is which direction to look for the ISS. In this case South South East. The next box to the right is "Max. Altitude" when and where the ISS will be at the maximum height above the horizon of it's pass. This is where I concentrate my hunt! Our example says that the ISS will get no higher than 12 degrees at it's maximum altitude and it will be coming from the South South East. So it's not even worth going out and trying to find it at this low elevation. Next box to the right "Ends" is where the ISS will conclude it's pass at 11 degrees Altitude at 21:19:19 and disappear into the earth's shadow in the East South East. As you can see by the times indicated in these blocks that the entire pass will be just shy of 2 minutes. A better pass to concentrate on would be the one for 24 Apr 06 at 22:04:27 (Max Altitude Block). At this time on the 24th you will look to the South South East, and you will look 61 degrees high and you will see the ISS at it's maximum height. The whole pass will be just under 5 minutes so be ready and start to try to pick it up before it gets to it's maximum height by looking in the direction of the start box (South West, at 22:01:36). The pass will be visible from 10 degrees up in the South West, but remember, you probably won't see it that low. To help you visualize the pass, draw an imaginary arc with your arm from South west at 10 degrees all the way across the sky to 61 degrees in the South South East then keep arcing over to 19 degrees in the East North East where the pass will end. This will give you a good idea on where to start looking and when it will be at it's maximum height and when it will end. Keep trying to pick it up early on before it gets to it's maximum height so as to have plenty of time for observing. As you're looking through your imaginary arc you'll pick it up with a little practice It should be bright! Like the lights on a very bright airplane. If you don't see it on your first try, don't worry you will have other chances. Just keep checking back from time to time. By clicking on the updated link below in red you will get the most current pass information that is available. The two most common failures for not seeing the ISS is one, looking for it at the wrong time! Set your watches! And allow plenty of time to get out side and get your eyes adjusted to the dark. Two, is misjudging how high it will be in the sky. 45 degrees for example means half way from the horizon to directly overhead. Which is Neck breaking high! Before too long you will be showing the ISS to all your friends. Good Luck |
| This is the official Mission patch for the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107 Mission). That ended in tragedy minutes before touchdown, after a perfect 16 day mission. I followed this mission with the rest of the world and was devastated for the grave loss of these fine souls. I wear this mission patch proudly on my Harley Vest. The central element of the patch is the micro gravity symbol flowing into the rays of the astronaut symbol. The mission inclination is portrayed by the 39 degree angle of the astronaut symbol to the Earth's horizon. The sunrise is representative of the numerous experiments that are the dawn of a new era for continued micro gravity research on the International Space Station and beyond. The breadth of science conducted on this mission will have widespread benefits to life on Earth and our continued exploration of space illustrated by the Earth and stars. The constellation Columbia (the dove) was chosen to symbolize peace on Earth and the Space Shuttle Columbia. The seven stars also represent the mission crew members and honor the original astronauts who paved the way to make research in space possible. The Israeli flag is adjacent to the name of the payload specialist who is the first person from that country to fly on the Space Shuttle |
| The ISS as it was photographed by Shuttle Atlantis in Sep 06 DC |
