Thought some of you might be interested in this...
Quote:
Sunlit space station to put on marathon sky show
21 May 2008 - NewScientist.com news service
The next few days will be prime viewing opportunities for anyone interested in catching a glimpse of the International Space Station (ISS) passing overhead.
The space station is normally visible once or twice a day, but from Wednesday to Friday, it can be seen making as many as four daily passes over North America and Europe.
Satellites like the ISS are only visible on Earth when they are in sunlight and the viewer is in deep twilight or darkness.
Such a scenario can occur more often at certain times of the year, when the Earth's orientation relative to the Sun allows the ISS to move out of Earth's shadow.
That will occur over the next three days, when the station will be bathed in sunlight almost constantly. Since it takes just 90 minutes or so to orbit the Earth, it will be visible multiple times around dawn and dusk.
The space station, which orbits at an altitude of 386 kilometres, is by far the biggest and brightest manmade satellite circling the planet. It looks as bright as Venus or Jupiter and can be seen even in well-lit cities.
"You don't need anything [to see it], although I would recommend if you have binoculars to try them because then you see a much more detailed view," says Nicole Cloutier, a spokesperson at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
The ISS will appear to sweep quickly across the sky, remaining visible for about 4 to 5 minutes during each pass. Find out when to look for the ISS here.
Construction of the orbital outpost, which is about as tall as a nine-story building, started in 1998 and will be completed in 2010.
NASA’s space shuttle Endeavor is scheduled to launch on 31 May. Another unique viewing opportunity for sky watchers will occur two days later, when the shuttle docks with the ISS, making the station appear even brighter than usual.
Here's the link to find out when and where to see it
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