by Gigio » Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:53 am
Guys,
Luigi is a humble and nice guy. I'm not sure whether you visited his absolutely great, great website, but he has an annotated version of his APOD picture where he names all the objects we down here live with every night. You could just click his name on APOD page and look for the astro pics gallery. I will not provide the link without his permission (too early here in Brasília). Visiting his wonderful site, go to the Guest book, just to give him his props.
Yes, Canopus is not only a big star itself but we can see both (Sirius) I'm almost sure at the same time (Yes, of course, I saw them many times...getting older). Yes, Canopus is surely visible from Tenerife, w/ clear south skies as someone said here, but probably a bit lower in the heavens. And it's easy because it's big and alone in the sky. The same way I, from the planet's belly, can see Andromeda (a bit lower), and also The Big Dipper (really lower in the sky).
ISS naked eye: yes it can be seen with proper conditions, correctly explained by the members. I've had the opportunity to see it easily with an absence sun, but sky still very bluish. BUT surprisingly, the most spectacular sight of a 'satellite' much more smaller, almost double higher in altitude, but it's totally reflective (due to the bright 'blanket' for heat protection all around it), it was the beloved Hubble Space Telescope. The conditions where, it's cliché, once in a lifetime, finished: the night just beginning, so no sun, but, once again, skies still in a dying blue, Summer season, so, sun (west), Hubble (East), Hubble too high but still seeing the sun. I was looking to the right direction...Result: an explosion in magnitude, a lighthouse! Unforgettable! I said to a near work colleague (at the parking lot or car park) what that beautiful light was and he gave no attention in disbelief.
Members here gave nice directions on how to spot sats, so don't forget Hubble, too. But its inclination is lower compared to ISS. It doesn't 'go' beyond the latitude of Northern Florida (Cape Canaveral, basically, about 28.5 degrees) . The same way to Southern people. I think Luigi, in Buenos Aires, cannot see it. ISS seems to reach Seattle's latitude and (the very tip of) southern Chile. But Hubble is visible, to a certain degree, for people around those maximum latitudes (southern parts of US Georgia and Texas, in perfect, adequate conditions).
Nowadays, there are nice sites, as members pointed here, but my sightings where based on PC software. A bit complicated to set up them to correctly work, but a delicious pastime. Pity, these (my) softs are dying since Windows is changing, and so more and more incompatible with them. All tracking softs. gladly paid to the dedicated developers, some of them, NASA members.
Well, Luigi, way to go! I e-mailed APOD's editor (Prof. Nemiroff) your useful annotated pic version (the link), but usually they don't modify past posts. Unless, maybe, an annotated picture version where only when you pass mouse around the image you see the names.
I know it's limiting, but Hubble was my breathtaking sight (that probably will not happen again). Next time you travel, don't forget it! It's special in all ways.
Gigio
Sorry my Astronomy English and prepositions' eternal fight. I think prepositions are a common duel, no matter the language.
Guys,
Luigi is a humble and nice guy. I'm not sure whether you visited his absolutely great, great website, but he has an annotated version of his APOD picture where he names all the objects we down here live with every night. You could just click his name on APOD page and look for the astro pics gallery. I will not provide the link without his permission (too early here in Brasília). Visiting his wonderful site, go to the Guest book, just to give him his props.
Yes, Canopus is not only a big star itself but we can see both (Sirius) I'm almost sure at the same time (Yes, of course, I saw them many times...getting older). Yes, Canopus is surely visible from Tenerife, w/ clear south skies as someone said here, but probably a bit lower in the heavens. And it's easy because it's big and alone in the sky. The same way I, from the planet's belly, can see Andromeda (a bit lower), and also The Big Dipper (really lower in the sky).
ISS naked eye: yes it can be seen with proper conditions, correctly explained by the members. I've had the opportunity to see it easily with an absence sun, but sky still very bluish. BUT surprisingly, the most spectacular sight of a 'satellite' much more smaller, almost double higher in altitude, but it's totally reflective (due to the bright 'blanket' for heat protection all around it), it was the beloved Hubble Space Telescope. The conditions where, it's cliché, once in a lifetime, finished: the night just beginning, so no sun, but, once again, skies still in a dying blue, Summer season, so, sun (west), Hubble (East), Hubble too high but still seeing the sun. I was looking to the right direction...Result: an explosion in magnitude, a lighthouse! Unforgettable! I said to a near work colleague (at the parking lot or car park) what that beautiful light was and he gave no attention in disbelief.
Members here gave nice directions on how to spot sats, so don't forget Hubble, too. But its inclination is lower compared to ISS. It doesn't 'go' beyond the latitude of Northern Florida (Cape Canaveral, basically, about 28.5 degrees) . The same way to Southern people. I think Luigi, in Buenos Aires, cannot see it. ISS seems to reach Seattle's latitude and (the very tip of) southern Chile. But Hubble is visible, to a certain degree, for people around those maximum latitudes (southern parts of US Georgia and Texas, in perfect, adequate conditions).
Nowadays, there are nice sites, as members pointed here, but my sightings where based on PC software. A bit complicated to set up them to correctly work, but a delicious pastime. Pity, these (my) softs are dying since Windows is changing, and so more and more incompatible with them. All tracking softs. gladly paid to the dedicated developers, some of them, NASA members.
Well, Luigi, way to go! I e-mailed APOD's editor (Prof. Nemiroff) your useful annotated pic version (the link), but usually they don't modify past posts. Unless, maybe, an annotated picture version where only when you pass mouse around the image you see the names.
I know it's limiting, but Hubble was my breathtaking sight (that probably will not happen again). Next time you travel, don't forget it! It's special in all ways.
Gigio
Sorry my Astronomy English and prepositions' eternal fight. I think prepositions are a common duel, no matter the language.