[GCARC] You watched the launch today on TV, now watch the Space Station fly over New Jersey tonight!

[Tony Starr]

Thanks Jim,

That was a great pass!  Very good visibility, even in my poor location
which is awash in commercial light pollution. 73.

Tony K3TS

On Sat, May 30, 2020 at 6:02 PM Jim Wright <jim.n2gxj at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi guys!
> Assuming there are no clouds, there is a visible pass of the International
> Space Station (ISS) tonight.
> Yes, that's where the rocket you saw launched on TV today, the SpaceX with
> Crew Dragon, is headed!
>
> Step outside around 21:50 (9:50pm) and face North,
> What will look like a moving "star" will come up from the horizon from the
> North-West on a course that will take it across the sky from left to right
> across the North (in front of you), and then down to your right (East).
> About 3 minutes after you first see it, it should reach max elevation in
> the sky - about 40 degrees up from the horizon, or basically half way up
> from the horizon to straight overhead, in the general direction of the
> North East.
> It will continue on this arc across the sky towards the East, where it will
> disappear into the Earth's shadow around 21:55.
>
> What about crew Dragon?  Will we be able to see it?
> Probably not, but I am going to try and look using binoculars anyway.
> It is predicted to be very faint, about the brightness of a "normal" star,
> like Polaris, the North Star, so I won't be too disappointed if I don't see
> it.
> Why so faint?  Unlike the space station which is very big and
> metallic which reflects lots of sunlight making it easy to see as the
> sunlight reflects off of it, the crew Dragon space capsule is tiny.
> "Maybe" if lucky, can see it.
> If you want to try, go out 5 minutes earlier, around 21:45, and face North,
> same facing direction as you will be looking for the ISS pass a few minutes
> later. These time predictions are approximate, because it is still
> maneuvering. But around 21:47, if can see it at all, Dragon will be much
> lower to the horizon, going from NNW, to max of only 22 degrees up in the
> NNE, disappearing just a minute later in the ENE at 21:48.  Keep an eye on
> the clock, though.  Don't want to miss the ISS show starting at 21:50!
>
> Good luck,
> and wishing for clear skies!
> Jim
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