Up Early? See the Space Station in EL Skies

I reported a few weeks ago the pleasure of seeing the International Space Station (ISS) over East Lansing skies in the evenings. Now comes a chance for you early morning risers to see it. From September 15 through September 22, the ISS will be vislble early in the morning.

What am I talking about?

The ISS whips around the earth every 90 minutes or so, and if the orbit is just right, it shines like a star as it moves across the sky. The times and positions vary, but starting on September 15 and running for a week, it will be visible for a couple of minutes early each morning. If you consult the NASA site for East Lansing viewing, you'll see the date, time, and duration of the viewing period. The "approach" column tells you where to look for it to appear, and the "departure" column tells you where it will disappear.

So, if the approach is due for "11 above S," you should look due south and 11 degrees above the horizon. If you hold your arm out full length in front of you and make a fist, your fist is about 5 degrees. So that means 11 degrees above the south horizon is about two fists above the south horizon.

The ISS is only visible when it is in sunlight and we are in the dark. That's why it can appear above the horizon, and disappear before it hits the horizon. The ISS is steadily the brightest thing in the sky other than the moon or Venus and moves about as quickly as an airplane, to the east (but without the flashing airplane lights). As I've said before, it's pretty cool to spot it and to think people are in that thing.

Why does it move to the east? Because it is cheaper! The spin of the earth helps on launch, so it makes sense to launch it heading east. Uses less fuel. And so, less money. That's ELi's geo-astronomical-thermodynamic-financial lesson for the day.

Photo credit: KWDS