San Diego Space Society

Gerry just sent a message from Dennis Mammana’s Sky Information newsletter:

Tonight (March 25) is your last chance to spot the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-123) and the International Space Station (ISS) before the Shuttle lands tomorrow.

STS-123 undocked from the station last night, and tonight the pair will appear as two star-like satellites moving together (within seconds of each other) from southwest to northeast. For viewers in Southern California they will pass nearly overhead around 8:08 p.m. PDT.

To get exact times for your area, check out this new website: http://spaceweather.com/flybys/ Just plug in your Zip Code and you’ll know when and where to look.

More details after the jump. I’ll be outside with Ben looking up tonight!

For more exact times and even a starmap showing the satellites’ paths through the constellations, visit: http://www.heavens-above.com and follow the directions to enter your location. I highly recommend becoming a free “registered user” here; it will make your future visits more productive-—especially if you view the sky from locations other than your home.

And if that weren’t enough, the European Space Agency’s Jules Verne cargo carrier (ATV)is parked 2000 km in front of ISS. You’ll be able to see it pass over about 4.5 minutes beforehand, moving along the same path as ISS and STS-123. It’ll vanish in the northeast just as ISS and STS appear in the southwest.

Since the sky will be pretty dark during tonight’s passes, try to photograph the pair. Set your camera on a sturdy tripod and aim it ahead of the satellite’s path (see www.heavens-above.com for the path). Focus on infinity(∞), set your aperture wide open with ISO at 200 or 400, and exposure for “manual” or “bulb”. When the satellites approach your target, trip the shutter until they’ve passed. You should then see two streaks across the relatively stationary stars. Consider using the pass of ATV as a test to make sure you’re set up Correctly.