Can the Space Station Be Seen?

[The Teardrop Nanny]

This year one of my student's father is an Astronomy Professor at a local college. He has been coming in and doing lessons with us about space. He said to check out this for your local chance> "Google";See the space station. On Monday he's going to be giving the times and coordinates for our class to view it. Hope you're successful in your quest.

TDN

[Ivar the Red]

All this space talk, and no jokes about seeing Uranus?

Trivia, What is the only sci-fi series to use actual footage shot in outer space?


On Star Trek-Enterprise, during the begining credits there is a snippet of the little robot up on Mars.

[toypusher]

All this space talk, and no jokes about seeing Uranus?

I think that is in another thread that you hang out at!!!!

Something to do with sheep, etc!!

[cuyeda]

Hey Finn.

Check out Orbitron. It's a Ham Radio software for satellite tracking and includes the ISS.

-Greg

Greg, nice software, and the price is right. It may be intimidating to most at first. Hint: Press the Load TLE button, select amateur.txt, then check the ISS satellite to track.

[Smitty Smith]

What we,d like to know is whats a decent telescope to buy ..and while looking at them what exactly should I look for as far as features or things?

Classic Finn

In another thread (telescope geeks) a few weeks ago I referred to 2 books, both by Terence Dickinson (a Canadian):
NightWatch
http://www.fireflybooks.com/books/3026A.html
The Backyard Astronomers Guide
http://www.fireflybooks.com/books/507XE.html

Both have excellect information on the pros & cons of different types of scopes and mountings, and on how to choose a telescope. Highly recommended.

This from Sky & Telescope magazine may help too:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/equipment/basics/3303926.html

Most astronomers know good scopes from bad just as auto mechanics know cars but only you can decide what you want to do with a scope, what you expect of it, and what might make you happy. If there is an astronomy club close by, you may want to seek them out and see their scopes. Talk to their owners and get their opinions about what you want to do and they can show you first hand what works & what doesn't. Remember that a telescope is only 1/2 the package, it's mounting (Dobsonian, equatorial, etc.) also determines what you will be able to do with it.

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

Heikkster,
TDN & I just watched the space station fly directly overhead with our naked eyes. You could tell what it was too... It was big, long and you could even faintly make out the solar panels on each side... Brighter than any object I've ever seen in the sky and it was in clear view for two minutes... That was purdy neat!

She told me that it will be visible here again on Saturday night for a full four minutes and will be even brighter.

[emiller]

Here is the tracking info
http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/

[tearbum67]

This is a picture (poor quality I know) taken from my back yard last year in N.E. Pa. That sucker really moves. [img]C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\orion\My%20Documents\My%20Pictures\repix%20tnttt\International%20space%20station.jpg[/img]

[Nitetimes]

[img]C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\orion\My%20Documents\My%20Pictures\repix%20tnttt\International%20space%20station.jpg[/img]

You have to upload the picture to the web some where, we can't see it when it's on your PC, unless...... well, never mind!

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

There will be a great viewing on the west coast tonight of the ISS at 8 minutes, 23 seconds after midnight. It will be visible with the naked eye for about four minutes and will be even more intense than this past Thursday's pass over.
Check out Eddie's link above on tracking info for your area....

[alffink]

Hello All,
Sorry I'm late on this thread, I am the Outreach director for our local astronomy club, as a club, we have been around for more than 50 years.
I am asked the question about "What Scope Should I Buy" at least 5 times at any outreach event and I do more than 60 outreach events every year with approximately 25,000 observers looking through my telescopes every year.

My answer is always, "Do not buy a telescope until you have attended at least 2 star-parties with a local club", after looking through several telescopes you will have a good idea of what to expect when you look through your new scope for the first time.
also, DO NOT BUY YOUR TELESCOPE FROM A DEPARTMENT STORE, If it is advertised as this scope has 500 power or such, run out of the store screaming, don't waste your money.

A astronomical telescopes size is determined by the diameter of its primay optics, the power comes from the eyepiece that you are using at the time.

On a day to day basis, an astronomer will normally be viewing with under 150 power, on the occasion that your skies are dark enough and the seeing is steady enough looking a the moon or a planet you may boost your power higher, a good viewing buddy of mine has been in astronomy for just over 45 years and states that he has been able to push one of his scopes to over 400 power maybe 3 times in that 45 years.

I have never sucessfully used more than 200 power in the last 10 years.

If some one absolutely demands a recomendation from me;
#1 is a good pair of binoculars, mounted to a tripod.

#2 would be a 6 to 8 Inch newtonian reflector on a simple dobsonian mount
#3 a 80 to 90mm refractor, but this is probably the most difficult design to buy sucessfully the first time out, and between getting a good steady mount and a quality scope, you may have to rent the kids out for a couple of years, to keep from hocking the old homestead.

Now the above is only my opinion of course, but I have a quiver of seven telescopes that I use on a regular basis, and I have found that the best scope for the individual is the one that he will use regularly.

If it's not used you probably got something too cheap or so complicated it take you longer to get it running than the time you want to observe.
now one last thing, if it is under about $300.00 it is probably not worth buying, just save a little longer, you will be much happier in the end.

Oh, this is why I built my tear in the first place, to have a comfortable place to sleep when out at our clubs dark sky site, in the high desert of S. CA, can be VERY cold in the winter, and can be +120 for days on end in the summer, the tear is great for this purpose.

Sorry for the long post, but this subject can get very complicated.

Al Fink
www.rivastro.org