ISS viewing opportunities

[Rick]

I walked outside after last night's committee meeting, looked up, and saw ISS going overhead. It turns out there are some fairly reasonable passes this week. Note, add an hour for BST times...

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Ground Station    : High Elms, Farnborough, Kent, England   ---   JO01AI
Time Zone         : UTC (+0.00 h)
                           in eclipse *  in daylight o
                                      ^              ^
Date       Rising at    Peak elevation      Setting    Height Satellite
Y M D  Time      Az.  Time      Az. El  Time      Az. (peak) Name
======  ========= ===  ========= === ==  ========= === ====== =========

100504  19:34:11o 241  19:39:03o 164 52  19:44:04o  77        ISS
100504  21:09:21  269  21:14:21   10 81  21:19:21*  88        ISS
100504  22:44:39  282  22:49:31* 204 60  22:54:39* 114        ISS
100505  18:24:25o 223  18:29:11o 149 28  18:33:56o  77        ISS
100505  19:59:14o 257  20:04:14o 143 84  20:09:14*  81        ISS
100505  21:34:31  278  21:39:31  118 86  21:44:32* 100        ISS
100505  23:09:49  283  23:14:34* 207 31  23:19:27* 133        ISS
100506  18:49:13o 243  18:54:06o 158 54  18:59:06o  77        ISS
100506  20:24:24  270  20:29:17  345 81  20:34:24*  89        ISS
100506  21:59:41  282  22:04:34* 196 58  22:09:34* 115        ISS
100507  17:39:21o 225  17:44:06o 149 29  17:48:52o  77        ISS
100507  19:14:09o 258  19:19:09o 135 85  19:24:09o  81        ISS
100507  20:49:27  278  20:54:27  137 85  20:59:27* 101        ISS
100507  22:24:44  283  22:29:30* 207 30  22:34:23* 134        ISS
100508  18:04:02o 244  18:08:55o 166 56  18:13:55o  77        ISS
100508  19:39:12o 270  19:44:12o  10 81  19:49:12*  90        ISS
100508  21:14:30  283  21:19:23  203 56  21:24:23* 116        ISS


[Rick]

Over the next few days it's in almost constant illumination, so it's a great time to catch a sight of it:

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Ground Station    : High Elms, Farnborough, Kent, England   ---   JO01AI
Time Zone         : UTC (+0.00 h)
                           in eclipse *  in daylight o
                                      ^              ^
Date       Rising at    Peak elevation      Setting    Height Satellite
Y M D  Time      Az.  Time      Az. El  Time      Az. (peak) Name
======  ========= ===  ========= === ==  ========= === ====== =========

100625  21:31:14  222  21:35:53  149 26  21:40:39   77        ISS
100625  23:06:08  257  23:11:02  147 82  23:16:02   81        ISS
100626  00:41:32  277  00:46:25   98 86  00:51:26   99        ISS
100626  02:16:48  283  02:21:34  207 32  02:26:27  132        ISS
100626  21:57:32  242  22:02:25  157 53  22:07:26   77        ISS
100626  23:32:48  270  23:37:41  355 81  23:42:42   89        ISS
100627  01:08:12  282  01:13:05  193 58  01:18:05  115        ISS
100627  20:49:11o 225  20:53:56o 148 29  20:58:42o  77        ISS
100627  22:24:12  258  22:29:05  119 84  22:34:06   82        ISS
100627  23:59:28  278  00:04:21  243 85  00:09:29  101        ISS
100628  01:34:52  283  01:39:38  206 29  01:44:23  134        ISS
100628  21:15:36  244  21:20:22  165 57  21:25:22   77        ISS
100628  22:50:52  271  22:55:45   15 81  23:00:46   90        ISS
100629  00:26:08  283  00:31:01  201 54  00:36:02* 117        ISS
Note times are given iin UTC, not BST.

[Tony G]

So, what time would the information below be in ENGLISH! if it was flying above us? 

100625  21:31:14  222  21:35:53  149 26  21:40:39   77        ISS


Tony G

PS..................My head starts hurting severely when people ask me to convert BST, UTC, TUC & GMT.
Sorry don't know where TUC came from as my head hurts.

[mickw]

21:31:14

10:31 and a bit

And yes, I am guessing 

[PhilB]

Go to http://heavens-above.com/ and set up an account. This site gives local times for your declared location and includes adjustment for daylight saving.

[Tony G]

Phil,

I have already got this set for my home location, and remember at one DSC 'Mark the Magnificent' was going to show us how he images the ISS, so I phoned 'she who must be obeyed' and asked her if she could look up fly-by's for that evening which she did.
We waited...................and waited....................and waited.................and then realised about the +1 daylight saving, or whatever the bloody time difference thingy is, and we had the wrong time.
But we did manage to catch a glimpse a little while later as it passes over every 90 minutes approx.

Tony G

PS..............................

And yes, I am guessing 

That's unlike you.

[Rick]

So, what time would the information below be in ENGLISH! if it was flying above us?  

The headings above the columns tell you.

Code Select Expand

Ground Station    : High Elms, Farnborough, Kent, England   ---   JO01AI
Time Zone         : UTC (+0.00 h)
                          in eclipse *  in daylight o
                                     ^              ^
Date       Rising at    Peak elevation      Setting    Height Satellite
Y M D  Time      Az.  Time      Az. El  Time      Az. (peak) Name
======  ========= ===  ========= === ==  ========= === ====== =========
100625  21:31:14  222  21:35:53  149 26  21:40:39   77        ISS

Date is (20)YYMMDD so that's 25th June 2010 in this case.

Time ISS rises is 21:31:14 UTC which is 14 seconds after 22:31 BST, but that's assuming a nautical horizon, so chances are you won't see it for a minute or so after that. You want to be looking towards the sout west (bearing 222 degrees from true north).

ISS is at its highest elevation at 21:35:53 UTC, at which point it'llbe on a bearing of 149 degrees, and it'll be 26 degrees above the horizon (so probably not the best of opportunities).

By 21:40:39 UTC it will have vanished somewhere off just north of east.

If any of the times had an asterisk after them then the station would not be illuminated by the Sun, so wouldn't be visible.

If instead they had an 'o' after them then the Sun would still be above the horizon...

to convert BST, UTC, TUC & GMT.
Sorry don't know where TUC came from as my head hurts.

UTC is Real Time. GMT is the old name for (almost) the same thing. BST is an abberation dreamed up by Franklin, Willet, and the rest.

[mickw]

Time ISS rises is 21:31:14 UTC which is 14 seconds after 22:31 BST

I guessed right 

[PhilB]

Yup, daylight saving can be a bit of an issue, Tony. Trouble is the only thing that these websites really seem to have in common is that their timing estimates don't clearly indicate whether daylight saving is being allowed for or not 

[The Thing]

... don't clearly indicate whether daylight saving is being allowed for or not

But the table clearly says UTC on the second line...

[Mike]

I hate BST. It isn't relevant in this day and age and should be scrapped.

[mickw]

says UTC on the second line

That's Time Zone not "time"

I hate BST. It isn't relevant in this day and age and should be scrapped

But what about the poor farmers and the war effort 

[The Thing]

Time Zone is displayed as UTC +0:00. If it was BST surely it would says UTC +1:00 (since GMT = UTC for practical purposes). This is what Heavens Above shows.

[Tony G]

 

My head is now thumping. I think I now have an aneurysm. (i fink that's how you spell it)

Can someone just PM me 10 mins before it comes over.

Tony G

PS...................As we are still talking about the ISS, does that mean that this thread hasn't been hi-jacked yet?  

[mickw]

PS...................As we are still talking about the ISS, does that mean that this thread hasn't been hi-jacked yet?

Carole and Doug are out shopping