A Celestial Event

We saw it two nights it was awesome

I just saw something fly by...but it only lasted a couple of minutes...about 4:10 CMT...it was under the Big Dipper. I did not see the tail. It must have been a satellite? Which direction was it headed? Toward the horizon?

They don’t zip past like meteors. Very kind of them.

I guess that is supposed to be common knowledge?

NASA has a service to let you know when it's visible


https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/

It's a frequent flyer. There used to be a weather anchor in DC named Bob Ryan who liked to mention when it would be visible.

It moves generally from west to east. That includes southwest to northeast and northwest to southeast.

It moves much more quickly than an airplane.

It does not have blinking lights.

The light you see is light reflected from the sun. Therefore, it is commonly sighted about an hour before sunrise or an hour after sunset. It's still within sunlight then, but it is seen against a dark sky.

You can see it during the day, but you have to try. When you see it before sunrise or after sunset, all you need is your naked eyes or a pair of binoculars.

I always enjoy seeing it. A bunch of us were out looking for the comet last Saturday. We finally saw it. The space station showed up too, low in the northern sky.

The ISS

We were using only our eyes

His area of expertise is space dust. I’m a huge Queen fan and one would think that to be one of the top guitarists in the world would be enough of an achievement, but apparently not. I follow his IG because he often has wonderful photos from space.

Glad you enjoyed the little film.

That is amazing!

Ultima Thule taken by New Horizons, not a comet but a neighbor of Pluto, way out there beyond our planets. This was one of my favorite photos sent by Brian when it was first “discovered”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxiqAoMBghN/?igshid=14vi1qqjg5z43