If you're in the Los Angeles area, tonight is a good opportunity to view
the International Space Station. It'll be passing just off the
California coast, flying from north to south.
It'll first appear low in the northwest at about 6:34 p.m. By 6:37 it
will be very high in the sky and very bright. At 6:38 it passes into
eclipse, that is to say, into Earth's shadow. (On the station, they'll
be watching a sunset, as they do every 90 minutes.)
The station is about 230 miles above earth, and currently has six
astronauts on board. Give them a wave as they pass!
It will be magnitude -3, brighter than the bright planet Jupiter at -2.4
which you'll see low in the northeast at the same time as the station pass.
To see the station, there are three requirements: 1. It must be passing
within 150 miles or so, 2. The sun must be down for you, and 3. The
station must be in sunlight. So usually the only times are near sunset
or sunrise.
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://whiteoaks.com
