ISS To Become Second Brightest-Object In the Sky 243
Matt_dk writes "Move over, Morning Star. Once Canadarm2 helps install the fourth and final set of solar array wings to the International Space Station later this month, the Station will surpass Venus as the brightest object in the night sky, second only to the Moon. The Space Shuttle Discovery is set to deliver the power-generating solar panels and Starboard 6 (S6) truss segment to the ISS on the 125th mission in the Shuttle program, known as STS-119/15A (slated for launch on March 11)."
Darkness (Score:5, Interesting)
bright enough to see in daylight? (Score:3, Interesting)
If the ISS does turn out to be brighter than Venus - which varies in brightness considerably, depending on where in it's orbit it is - relative to earth, then it will be interesting to see if it's visible during daytime passes, too.
Re:It doesn't matter for me (Score:5, Interesting)
Even growing up in a small town I didn't really comprehend how many stars there were until we went camping. We were in Dinosaur Provincial Park and once it got dark it was amazing. With almost no nearby light pollution, you can clearly see an arm of the milky way overhead. Even without that arm, there are too many stars to count.
Re:2nd brightest? not quite. (Score:5, Interesting)
Yes, the ISS is bright and will be brighter.
This still doesn't rival the brightness of an Iridium flare.
Then there have been comets and supernova that have been visible during daylight. Yea, I think the ISS is cool to observe, but don't call it 2nd brightest after the moon.
Okay, but those supernova are long gone so while they were on top back then, they aren't relevant today. You could also make an argument that the flare's apparent brightness only lasts a couple seconds while the ISS is bright for the majority of its traversal. Doesn't change that the flare really is much brighter when it occurs, but on the other hand on a normal night I'm perfectly comfortable saying that Venus is the 2nd brightest object in the sky.
Either way, this is a dramatic increase in the brightness of ISS. On a clear night far away from cities, ISS is easy to see, but also easy to lose in the sea of stars of similar brightness*. To be sure that you'll find it, you have to know roughly when and where it will appear, and then look for the star that moves. If it becomes brighter than Venus, you won't need a schedule or even a dark sky to be able to easily see when it passes over.
* Okay WP says that its max magnitude is equal to that of Venus, but I've never seen ISS under those conditions then. If the upgraded ISS will only be brighter than Venus at maximum, then maybe it's not that big a change as I'm thinking.
How ironic (Score:5, Interesting)
Isn't it ironic that the parts of the ISS that are meant to absorb as much sunlight as they can, actually reflect enough of it to make the ISS the seconds brightest object in the sky:P
Re:bright enough to see in daylight? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:The Moon: A Ridiculous Liberal Myth (Score:1, Interesting)
As I said, 70%: http://everything2.com/title/The%2520%2522Moon%2522%253A%2520A%2520Ridiculous%2520Liberal%2520Myth [everything2.com]
Re:2nd brightest? not quite. (Score:4, Interesting)
When I was going to UCF, I had the shit scared out of my by a shuttle landing. Had just moved in to new apartment and bedroom had sliding glass door out to patio. When the shuttle passed overhead, the sonic boom rattled the hell out of it, like someone was trying to come. Being woken up so early (10:30 am) sucks!
Re:How ironic (Score:4, Interesting)