Good sightings of the International Space Station on Friday and Sat. evenings over much of the East.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. A bright light. You might think it's an airplane, but it's moving faster than an airplane.

Last edited Sun Nov 22, 2020, 07:53 PM - Edit history (2)

Unlike an airplane or helicopter, it doesn't have blinking lights. The light you see is light reflected from the sun.

It generally moves from west to east. It can move from the NW to the SE or from the NE to the SW. But it's never going to be headed east to west.

Because you're looking at reflected sunlight, it becomes visible when the angle formed by the sun, the space station, and you becomes just right. It moves quickly from west to east, and then it suddenly disappears. It has moved out of the sunlight and into the shadow cast by the Earth.

It will be back in another ninety minutes, but by then the angle of the sun is wrong for you to see reflected light. That's why the sightings are just before dawn and just after sunset. You can see it during the day, but it take a special effort. You have to be set up in advance with a telescope or telephoto lens.

In the upcoming sightings I've mentioned here, all you need is your naked eye. You won't need binoculars. I think the sightings are better without binoculars. You get a sense of perspective.