Interesting space station/shuttle/ATV pass tonight

We should have a very unusual pass of three bright artificial satellites tonight, which I certainly plan to look for. All three will enter the sky from the southwest and cross toward the east. Start looking at about 8:00 p.m. to the left of where the sun set an hour before. At their peak altitude they'll be in the south east. By 8:10 they'll be past. First up will be the ATV (the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle) on its way to the ISS. It will be its highest in the sky at about 8:04. Following that, and brightest, will be the International Space Station, at peak altitude at 8:08. Only a few seconds behind, and just as bright, is space shuttle Endeavour, recently undocked from the station and on its way to a landing tomorrow. These behave very differently from airplanes. They'll look like very bright moving stars. If it blinks, shows a red light, or stays close to the horizon, it's an airplane, not a satellite. The station currently has a permanent crew of three aboard, and the shuttle is returning with seven astronauts. For custom predictions of visible satellite passes at your location (other than Los Angeles / Pasadena) visit here: http://www.heavens-above.com Cheers, Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers http://www.otastro.org