Astroblog: Christmas Week ISS passes, (19 December

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Christmas Week ISS passes, (19 December - 25 December 2017)


The ISS passes above Orion, as seen from Melbourne on the evening of Thursday 21 December at 21:44 AEDST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen.	The ISS through Orion, as seen from Adelaide on the evening of Thursday 21 December at 21:16 ACDST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen.	The ISS passes passes above Orion, as seen from Perth on the evening of Thursday 21 December at 21:44 AWST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen.

All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Thursday 21 December for Melbourne.	All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Thursday 21 December for Adelaide.	All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Thursday 21 December for Perth.

Starting Wednesday 20th there are a series of bright evening passes of the International Space Station lasting until Christmas. Some are low to the horizon, some rapidly enter earth's shadow, but for many places in Australia this series has the ISS gliding either close to or through Orion or a series of bright stars (except Darwin, which only gets three bright evening passes low above the horizon).

On the Morning of December 25th, there is a couple of bright Passes of the ISS close to variously Sirius, the Southern Cross or Orion, depending on your location. If you are up feeding Santa's reindeer go have a look.

The following tables are from data provided from Heavens Above.

Passes from Adelaide

Date	Brightness	Start			Highest point			End			Pass type
Date	(mag)	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Pass type
20 Dec	-3.9	22:05:01	10°	NW	22:08:19	86°	NE	22:11:40	10°	SE	visible
20 Dec	-0.3	23:43:35	10°	SW	23:45:13	13°	SSW	23:46:50	10°	S	visible
21 Dec	-1.1	04:35:57	10°	SSW	04:38:40	23°	SSE	04:41:23	10°	E	visible
21 Dec	-3.3	21:13:00	10°	NNW	21:16:06	37°	NE	21:19:11	10°	ESE	visible
21 Dec	-1.0	22:50:06	10°	W	22:52:39	20°	SSW	22:55:13	10°	SSE	visible
22 Dec	-0.4	03:44:13	10°	S	03:46:08	14°	SSE	03:48:03	10°	ESE	visible
22 Dec	-3.9	05:19:38	10°	SW	05:22:56	70°	NW	05:26:12	10°	NE	visible
22 Dec	-2.0	21:57:07	10°	WNW	22:00:11	35°	SW	22:03:17	10°	SSE	visible
23 Dec	-3.0	04:27:20	10°	SW	04:30:36	53°	SE	04:33:50	10°	ENE	visible
23 Dec	-3.5	21:04:30	10°	NW	21:07:47	73°	SW	21:11:06	10°	SE	visible
23 Dec	-0.2	22:43:42	10°	SW	22:44:46	11°	SSW	22:45:51	10°	S	visible
24 Dec	-1.6	03:35:15	10°	SSW	03:38:10	27°	SE	03:41:04	10°	E	visible
24 Dec	-2.7	05:11:50	10°	WSW	05:14:34	24°	NW	05:17:16	10°	N	visible
24 Dec	-0.6	21:49:51	10°	WSW	21:52:09	17°	SSW	21:54:27	10°	SSE	visible
25 Dec	-0.8	02:43:23	10°	SSW	02:45:39	17°	SSE	02:47:52	10°	ESE	visible
25 Dec	-3.8	04:19:05	10°	WSW	04:22:20	52°	NW	04:25:32	10°	NNE	visible

Passes from Brisbane

Date	Brightness	Start			Highest point			End			Pass type
Date	(mag)	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Pass type
20 Dec	-4.0	19:59:38	10°	NW	20:02:54	78°	NE	20:06:12	10°	SE	visible
21 Dec	-1.7	04:09:32	10°	SSW	04:12:33	32°	SE	04:15:34	10°	ENE	visible
21 Dec	-3.0	19:07:45	10°	N	19:10:40	30°	NE	19:13:37	10°	ESE	visible
21 Dec	-0.6	20:45:02	10°	W	20:47:10	16°	SW	20:49:20	10°	S	visible
22 Dec	-0.5	03:17:54	10°	S	03:20:07	16°	SE	03:22:19	10°	E	visible
22 Dec	-1.8	19:51:44	10°	WNW	19:54:43	31°	SW	19:57:44	10°	SSE	visible
23 Dec	-3.9	04:01:03	10°	SW	04:04:22	75°	NW	04:07:38	10°	NE	visible
24 Dec	-2.6	03:08:51	10°	SSW	03:12:01	43°	SE	03:15:11	10°	ENE	visible
24 Dec	-0.3	19:45:02	10°	WSW	19:46:40	13°	SW	19:48:18	10°	S	visible
25 Dec	-1.1	02:17:00	10°	S	02:19:35	20°	SE	02:22:08	10°	E	visible
25 Dec	-2.6	03:53:21	10°	WSW	03:55:58	22°	NW	03:58:33	10°	N	visible

Passes from Melbourne

Date	Brightness	Start			Highest point			End			Pass type
Date	(mag)	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Pass type
20 Dec	-0.2	01:08:41	10°	SSW	01:09:30	11°	SSW	01:10:19	10°	S	visible
20 Dec	-0.7	04:22:28	10°	SSW	04:24:54	18°	SSE	04:27:19	10°	ESE	visible
20 Dec	-3.7	22:36:36	10°	NW	22:39:54	75°	SW	22:43:15	10°	SE	visible
21 Dec	-0.5	00:15:00	10°	SW	00:16:52	14°	SSW	00:18:46	10°	SSE	visible
21 Dec	-0.4	03:30:39	10°	S	03:32:19	13°	SSE	03:34:00	10°	SE	visible
21 Dec	-3.2	05:06:02	10°	SW	05:09:21	63°	SE	05:12:38	10°	ENE	visible
21 Dec	-3.7	21:44:25	10°	NNW	21:47:38	51°	NE	21:50:53	10°	ESE	visible
21 Dec	-1.0	23:21:44	10°	WSW	23:24:19	20°	SSW	23:26:53	10°	SSE	visible
22 Dec	0.0	02:39:30	10°	S	02:39:40	10°	SSE	02:39:51	10°	SSE	visible
22 Dec	-1.9	04:13:53	10°	SW	04:16:58	33°	SSE	04:20:01	10°	E	visible
22 Dec	-1.8	22:28:47	10°	W	22:31:48	32°	SSW	22:34:51	10°	SSE	visible
23 Dec	-1.0	03:21:50	10°	SSW	03:24:28	21°	SSE	03:27:05	10°	E	visible
23 Dec	-3.6	04:57:53	10°	WSW	05:01:07	48°	NW	05:04:18	10°	NNE	visible
23 Dec	-3.1	21:36:06	10°	WNW	21:39:23	58°	SW	21:42:41	10°	SE	visible
23 Dec	-0.3	23:14:51	10°	SW	23:16:26	13°	SSW	23:18:02	10°	S	visible
24 Dec	-0.5	02:29:55	10°	SSW	02:31:53	15°	SSE	02:33:50	10°	ESE	visible
24 Dec	-3.8	04:05:28	10°	SW	04:08:49	80°	SE	04:12:07	10°	NE	visible
24 Dec	-0.6	22:21:27	10°	WSW	22:23:48	18°	SSW	22:26:10	10°	SSE	visible
25 Dec	-0.2	01:38:15	10°	S	01:39:13	11°	SSE	01:40:10	10°	SSE	visible
25 Dec	-2.5	03:13:14	10°	SW	03:16:25	40°	SE	03:19:34	10°	ENE	visible
25 Dec	-2.4	04:50:17	10°	W	04:52:40	18°	NW	04:55:02	10°	N	visible
25 Dec	-1.3	21:28:21	10°	W	21:31:14	27°	SSW	21:34:09	10°	SSE	visibl

Passes from Perth

Date	Brightness	Start			Highest point			End			Pass type
Date	(mag)	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Pass type
19 Dec	-1.5	20:24:05	10°	N	20:24:13	11°	N	20:24:13	11°	N	visible
19 Dec	-1.3	22:04:20	20°	S	22:04:20	20°	S	22:05:48	10°	SSE	visible
20 Dec	-1.5	04:31:22	10°	SSW	04:34:20	30°	SE	04:37:18	10°	ENE	visible
20 Dec	-3.1	21:07:17	10°	WNW	21:10:31	56°	SW	21:13:48	10°	SE	visible
21 Dec	-0.5	03:39:38	10°	S	03:41:52	17°	SE	03:44:06	10°	ESE	visible
21 Dec	-3.9	20:14:59	10°	NW	20:18:14	61°	NE	20:21:31	10°	SE	visible
21 Dec	-0.3	21:53:23	10°	WSW	21:54:59	13°	SSW	21:56:37	10°	S	visible
22 Dec	-3.8	04:22:53	10°	SW	04:26:13	86°	SE	04:29:30	10°	NE	visible
22 Dec	-1.0	20:59:48	10°	W	21:02:28	22°	SW	21:05:08	10°	SSE	visible
23 Dec	-2.2	03:30:43	10°	SSW	03:33:51	38°	SE	03:36:57	10°	ENE	visible
23 Dec	-2.3	20:06:51	10°	WNW	20:10:00	42°	SW	20:13:12	10°	SSE	visible
24 Dec	-1.0	02:38:50	10°	SSW	02:41:23	20°	SE	02:43:56	10°	E	visible
24 Dec	-3.0	04:14:56	10°	WSW	04:17:52	29°	NW	04:20:47	10°	NNE	visible
24 Dec	-0.1	20:53:36	10°	SW	20:54:31	11°	SSW	20:55:24	10°	SSW	visible
25 Dec	-0.3	01:47:28	10°	S	01:48:48	12°	SSE	01:50:09	10°	SE	visible
25 Dec	-4.0	03:22:18	10°	SW	03:25:37	71°	NW	03:28:52	10°	NE	visible
25 Dec	-0.7	19:59:31	10°	W	20:01:54	18°	SW	20:04:18	10°	S	visible

Passes from Sydney

Date	Brightness	Start			Highest point			End			Pass type
Date	(mag)	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Pass type
20 Dec	-0.5	04:24:33	10°	S	04:26:39	16°	SSE	04:28:44	10°	ESE	visible
20 Dec	-2.9	21:01:03	10°	N	21:03:55	27°	NE	21:06:48	10°	ESE	visible
20 Dec	-1.3	22:37:38	10°	W	22:40:22	23°	SW	22:43:08	10°	SSE	visible
21 Dec	-3.3	05:07:46	10°	SW	05:11:05	66°	SE	05:14:21	10°	NE	visible
21 Dec	-2.6	21:44:46	10°	WNW	21:47:57	44°	SW	21:51:09	10°	SE	visible
22 Dec	-1.8	04:15:41	10°	SSW	04:18:42	32°	SE	04:21:42	10°	ENE	visible
22 Dec	-3.9	20:52:18	10°	NW	20:55:36	84°	NE	20:58:56	10°	SE	visible
22 Dec	-0.2	22:31:03	10°	SW	22:32:29	12°	SSW	22:33:55	10°	S	visible
23 Dec	-0.8	03:23:48	10°	SSW	03:26:13	18°	SSE	03:28:37	10°	E	visible
23 Dec	-3.4	04:59:40	10°	WSW	05:02:49	40°	NW	05:05:55	10°	NNE	visible
23 Dec	-0.8	21:37:24	10°	W	21:39:54	19°	SSW	21:42:25	10°	SSE	visible
24 Dec	-0.2	02:32:24	10°	S	02:33:37	12°	SSE	02:34:50	10°	SE	visible
24 Dec	-3.9	04:07:12	10°	SW	04:10:32	87°	SE	04:13:49	10°	NE	visible
24 Dec	-1.8	20:44:20	10°	WNW	20:47:24	34°	SW	20:50:29	10°	SSE	visible
25 Dec	-2.4	03:15:00	10°	SSW	03:18:09	40°	SE	03:21:17	10°	ENE	visible
25 Dec	-2.1	04:52:27	10°	W	04:54:20	14°	NW	04:56:13	10°	NNW	visible
25 Dec	-0.1	21:31:16	10°	SW	21:31:58	10°	SSW	21:32:40	10°	SSW	visible
26 Dec	-0.5	02:22:59	10°	SSW	02:23:17	12°	SSW	02:23:17	12°	SSW	visible
26 Dec	-0.6	20:37:06	10°	WSW	20:39:18	17°	SSW	20:41:33	10°	S	visible

When and what you will see is VERY location dependent, so you need to use either Heavens Above or CalSky to get site specific predictions for your location, a small difference in location can mean the difference between the ISS passing over a star or missing it completely.

Start looking several minutes before the pass is going to start to get yourself oriented and your eyes dark adapted. Be patient, there may be slight differences in the time of the ISS appearing due to orbit changes not picked up by the predictions. Use the most recent prediction for your site.

Labels: ISS, Satellite, unaided eye