The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest ‘artificial’ body in orbit and from 26 January to 31 January it will be visible to the naked eye.
Some interesting facts about the International Space Station:
- It was launched into space in 1998 and currently it orbits at a constant altitude of between 330 and 435km from the earth.
- It completes about 15 orbits per day around the earth.
- The ISS has been continuously occupied by crew members since 2 November 2000 and it serves as a space research laboratory where experiments in fields like astronomy, meteorology and biology are conducted.
Astronomical Society of South Africa (ASSA) chairman in Johannesburg Jerome Jooste explained that one or two dates between 20 and 24 January have been distributed on social networks as the perfect time to look out for the Space Station but he says that this is incorrect as the altitude is below 15 degrees on those dates and it makes it impossible to spot the ISS then with the naked eye. “The ISS is often dulled or totally obscured by clouds or smog and haze on the horizon when the altitude is below 15.
“In the astronomical world brightness is indicated by magnitude, magnitude 1 indicates the brightest stars. Sirius is the brightest star we can see high overhead in the evening sky and the good thing is that the ISS will be far brighter than Sirius between 26 and 31 January which makes it very easy to spot with the naked eye.”
Below is a table compiled by ASSA for visible passes of the ISS:
- On 26 January the ISS will be visible from 8.08pm until 8.09pm.
- On 27 January the visibility time is from 7.17pm to 7.20pm
- On 28 January the space station will be visible from 8.01pm to 8.03pm.
- On 29 January visibility will last from 7.09pm to 7.14pm with the highest point at 7.12pm.
- On 31 January the ISS will first be visible on 7.03pm with highest point at 7.05pm and it will end at 7.07pm.
“The two dates that stand out are 27 and 29 January. These passes are high overhead and very bright and should be easily visible to anybody looking up at the correct time,” concluded Jooste.
Details: www.astronomyjhb.co.za
