I am not much of a morning person, but tomorrow
morning - that's Wednesday the 7th there is a
shuttle +ISS pass over the Pasadena area. The
two spacecraft will be visible in the same part
of the sky as the bright comet 17P/Holmes in
Perseus. That should make a very pretty picture.
(if it is foggy, well, then I am sure someone
will have a very pretty picture of this lineup)
A friend here at work drove up CA Route 2, just a
couple miles up got him above the fog this
morning, where he snapped a photo of the shuttle
and International Space Station. Then he emailed
it to one of the astronauts aboard the shuttle
today.
Here is the chart
http://www.heavens-above.com/PassDetails.asp?Session=kebgcaianecpbahhnoafgb…
Here are the details: Look to the North East at
5:00 a.m. (not P. M.) - this allows a few
minutes to get oriented. It's a short pass just
3 minutes from 5:07 to 5:10 a.m. The two
spacecraft travel from NW to NNE 33 degrees above
the horizon. Then you should take a look at the
planetary lineup. Strung along the ecliptic will
be (starting from the Eastern horizon: Mercury,
the moon, Venus, Saturn and Mars (almost
overhead). Now that's what I call a lineup!
Date: Wednesday, 07 November, 2007
Observer's Location: Pasadena ( 34.1480°N, 118.1440°W)
Local Time: Pacific Standard Time (GMT - 8:00)
Leaves shadow 05:07:38 33 degrees above horizon
Maximum altitude 05:07:44 33 degrees above horizon
Drops below 10° altitude 05:10:24
Sets 05:12:30
There is another pass at 5:30 a.m. on the 8th,
but it only is 12 degrees above the horizon.
http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=25544&Session=kebgc…
Jane
--
Jane Houston Jones
Senior Outreach Specialist, Cassini Program
JPL - 4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 230-205
Pasadena, CA 91109 818-393-6435
jane.h.jones(a)jpl.nasa.gov
Cassini SOC
http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
What's Up?
http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/amateurastronomy/index.html