mind: blown

So two days ago I ran across this link via reddit, and mentally filed it under “that would be cool to try and see” – then promptly forgot about it. Then this afternoon as I was stopping by my mothers house my stepdad randomly mentioned that he wanted me to set up my telescope for him to try out. I remembered the link all of a sudden and pulled up the SkyWatch tracker  (here) to discover that just before 9pm the International Space Station would pass pretty much right over Fresno. So I printed out the chart, figured out which way to look, and waited.

At around 8:45 – just in case my clocks aren’t synced right – I go out back a few minutes early and I’m disheartened to see that there are no stars visible yet as the sun had just set. I go to the front yard, look around, and manage to spot a few faint specks barely appearing. I prepare for disappointment.

8:49 – exactly when the ISS is supposed to be on approach for my location – I start scanning the skyline to the South West per the chart. Nothing yet. Stupid trees. I should have tried driving out to some field west of town, but it’s too late now. I look around wondering if I really know which way is which.

8:50 – right as I’m thinking “man, I’m not going to see anything, this was a waste…” I spot it. Right where it should be. I’m thankful my sense of direction is reliable and that I’ve been looking in the right direction. By now it’s probably only around 25° above the horizon and it’s already brighter than any star at any time in the skies visible from the city. I turn around to spot Polaris, and I’m shocked at how much brighter the ISS is, and by how fast it’s moving across the sky.

8:51 – my mom yells down the street to tell a herd of kids to come see the space station. They run over and I tell them to look up, and proceed to geek out a bit explaining (incorrectly) that the solar panels are about the size of three football fields (really only one, if that… not sure where I got three from) and that at it’s closest point above us it would be just over 200 miles out, but close to 800 miles when it’s on the horizon (as listed on the chart I printed out).

8:52 – still amazed at how bright it is, I pull out my phone and take a picture (see below). I hadn’t planned ahead because I severely underestimated the magnitude scales listed online… else I would have had my camera on a tripod, attempting a long exposure to catch it in motion.

8:53 – as it moves towards the North Eastern horizon, I guess at the distance (probably around 500 or 600 miles away at that point) and point out how it’s getting dimmer and yet is still the brightest thing in the sky. I think to myself “this is the third coolest thing I’ve seen in the sky.”

8:54 – as it drops around 20° to the horizon, it gets incredibly brighter, and I unabashedly proclaim something along the lines of “holy shit, a flare!” then explain to anyone nearby (I was still focused intently on it, I could very well have been talking to myself here) that the station is spinning, and it managed to catch the sunlight like a mirror for a few seconds. It goes from third coolest to second, bumping Hale-Bopp down a notch.

8:55 – I curse the trees again as it drops out of sight.

Going by the information provided, this was the best opportunity to see it pass over this area for a long while; reaching a highest point of 75° and lasting around six minutes as it traversed the nearly starless sky. I’m not sure if it would have been even better in a darker sky… but I’m now going to be watching that page for updates, to see if at some point I can snap a better shot of it streaking across space. At the very least I’ll take out some binoculars. But even to the naked eye, it was mighty impressive. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy the way only a nerd could feel looking up at a pile of shiny floating through space.

See that speck in the middle? That’s THE FUTUREI We’re HERE!