Seeing the International Space Station

International Space Station

The International Space Station, or ISS, is a wonderful sight to see. It is Earth's 2nd largest satellite (after the Moon, of course). The ISS shines brightly because of the reflective surfaces across its trusses that shine brightly in the sunlight, and make the ISS look like a bright planet that moves relatively quickly across the sky.

The ISS only appears in the sky for a short while after sunset, or before sunrise. It is in orbit about 225 miles above the surface of the Earth; for example, shortly after a sunset the ISS catches sunlight and shines as it travels across the sky. When you get a very good alignment and it passes nearly overhead, it can reach the same magnitude as a bright Venus, and therefore be easy to spot. On such a pass, it takes about 5 minutes to travel from horizon to horizon, covering over 1000 miles in that time.

ISS visibility depends upon your location on Earth, since the best times to see the ISS in one part of the globe won't be the same as another. NASA has an an excellent web resource for this; for ISS sightings in San Francisco, we have morning passes right now, and will soon have good visibility in the evenings starting on February 5th. The iPhone app ISS Visibility is quite helpful for locating the ISS, with maps and easy-to-follow directions.

Best of luck seeing this wonderful sight. Image courtesy of NASA.

Astronomy Events in 2013

Every year is full of special moments in the sky as planets and stars and the Moon align to create noteworthy patterns and special views. 2013 will be marked by many special moments, so here's a quick overview of them.

Comets

Comet Hale-Bopp

The event of the year could be the fly-by of Comet Ison, currently en route for a November 28th close encounter with the Sun, potentially lighting up the night (and even daytime) sky. More information on Comet Ison here.

Asteroids

Mark your calendar for February 15-16, when Asteroid DA14 will pass within 10,000-20,000 miles of the surface of the Earth. This is a big asteroid, at 125 feet, and could cause considerable damage if it was to impact. Lucky for us, we will not have anything to worry about. More here from Earth Sky.

Eclipses

Only one eclipse will be of significance for the West Coast, on October 18th when the Moon will pass within the Earth's penumbral shadow. This partial eclipse will start before moonrise in California, but once the Moon rises, should be a nice sight.

Occultations

Every month as the Moon slips past planets and stars in the night sky, there are moments when a distant object is blocked out by the Moon, called an Occultation. This year there are several close encounters that should be quite fun to watch from the Bay Area. Depending where you are on Earth, you can see more or less of these events. A few noteworthy ones: January 21 and March 17 when the Moon passes very close to Jupiter; and February 28-March 1 and July 15-16 when the Moon passes very close to the bright star Spica.

Be sure to check out the Year In Space calendar for 2013 which has fascinating facts and is a wealth of astronomy information for every day and month of the year. And happy viewing this year!

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Alignments in the City Sky

Jupiter, Orion, and Sirius

I am viewing the sky this evening from one of the most densely populated urban areas, Manhattan. Looking up at the night sky here, you can't see many faint stars, but you can still see plenty of the brighter ones. Tonight looking toward the south, I was easily able to spot the fantastic alignment of Orion's belt, pointing downward toward the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, and pointing upward to the brightest planet in the sky in the evening, Jupiter. As Jupiter gradually moves in its orbit around the Sun, it will soon move out of alignment with Sirius, Orion's belt, and the bright star Aldeberan in the constellation Taurus. By the middle of 2013, Jupiter will be well on its way to the next sign in the Zodiac, Gemini. But for the coming weeks, you can enjoy the bright celestial alignment that can been seen from just about any location on Earth, even in the middle of an urban jungle such as NYC.

Image courtesy of Sky Safari.

Quadrantid Meteor Shower 2013

The Quadrantids peak this evening and continue through Thursday January 4th, lighting up the sky with 'shooting stars' that are enchanting to see, if you have dark clear skies and are able to brave the wintery cold night. The Quadrantids ring in each new year with a good display of meteors, and are favorable for us in the Northern Hemisphere because the 'radiant' (the point from which the meteors appear to emanate) is high in the northern sky. Here are some helpful articles with more details about the shower.

EarthSky.com has a thorough article.

Space.com has helpful sky maps.

To enjoy the Quadrantids, follow the usual rules for a meteor shower: (a) dress warmly and have blankets or a sleeping bag, (b) avoid direct lights such as house lights, yard lights and street lights, (c) give yourself time to adapt to the darkness so your eyes can pick up faint meteors as well as big bright ones, and (d) give yourself a view directly overhead with as few obstructions as possible. If you get lucky, you can see up to 40 meteors per hour.

Christmas Conjunction

Christmas Conjunction

This year for Christmas day, we get a nearly full Moon and a terrific alignment with the giant planet Jupiter and the bright star Aldeberan. They will dominate the night sky from sunset to sunrise, bringing a slowly changing pattern to bear as they soar high across the Christmas nighttime sky. The Moon’s gradual eastward motion will be perceptible in this tightly-packed alignment, rewarding the careful observer with a chance to see the Moon’s proper motion as it orbits the Earth, moving roughly its own diameter in distance across the night sky every hour, compared to Jupiter and Aldeberan. If you use binoculars to view the spectacle, you'll get the added bonus of seeing the Hyades star cluster, an open cluster of stars surrounding the star Aldeberan.

I wish you clear skies and nice viewing as we close 2012.

KFOG Broadcast - Dec 21, 2012

Today I joined Tim and Greg on KFOG In The Mornings to talk about the 2012 Apocalypse and 2012 Hoax, but we moved to more topics including the solstice, asteroids, comets, planets and stars, with calls from listeners too. We had a lively discussion and I am looking forward to more broadcasts with them in 2013. Click here for Part 1 of today's broadcast, and Part 2 of the broadcast.

Debunking the 2012 Hoax

We are in full swing this week with discussions and rumors about apocalypse on Friday December 21st, 2012. There are numerous claims, including impact by a rogue planet (Niburu), flipping of the Earth's axes, alignment of the planets, alignment of the Earth and Sun and the Galactic Center, and of course most famously, the end of the Long Count Mayan Calendar. All of these are either false or have no connection to science, of course, and scientists are therefore not worried about any of these, since there is absolutely no scientific evidence that any of these things will happen (or in the case of the end of the Mayan Calendar, that there is any reality-based significance of that numerological moment). All we will have on December 21st is the usual winter solstice, a geometric alignment that signifies the endpoint of an annual journey around the Sun, same as any other year.

Debunking the 2012 Hoax

I like to envision myself in a spaceship watching the Earth in its orbit around the Sun, viewing our home planet whisking across the heavens, spinning on its axis and enjoying its perfect location in the Solar System. From up there, you see the planet in its majesty, much as the Apollo astronauts did, a jewel floating through the blackness of space. And then I envision little people way down there on the planet, asking themselves if a rogue planet is in our midst, but is somehow unseen by anyone. And people worrying about a calendar that was invented years ago, the significance of which is completely irrelevant on the cosmic scale of the Solar System and Universe. And I don't understand how rational, thinking beings on Earth can become so self-obsessed and worried about all of these myths. But over the millennia there have always been doomsday rumors, and apparently it's in our nature to believe such stories. It's myth, and if you stand back and take in the big picture like the astronauts did, you cannot help but see just how irrelevant all of the speculation and rumors are.

If you want to read, on a point-by-point basis, just how science refutes each claim of the 2012 doomsday, visit the highly informative 2012 Hoax website. I have met the creator and contributors to this site, as well as David Morrison of NASA who has been speaking out against the rumors for several years. Read the real story and don't worry. I'll see you on December 22nd.

Image courtesy of 2012hoax.org.

KFOG Broadcast - Dec 13, 2012

Today I was a guest on KFOG In The Morning, with DJs Tim Jeffreys and Greg Gory. We had a spirited discussion about the Moon and Sun and how they conspire to create King Tides, and discussed the Geminid meteor shower. Click here to listen to the broadcast.