Astroblog: Catch the ISS passing close to Venus and many others (24-26 August, 2018)

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Catch the ISS passing close to Venus and many others (24-26 August, 2018)


The ISS passes below Venus as seen from Melbourne on the evening of Friday 24 August at 19:49 AEST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen.	The ISS passes below Venus as seen from Adelaide on the evening of Friday 24 August at 19:18 ACST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen.	The ISS passes below Venus as seen from Perth on the evening of Saturday 25 August at 18:29 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 Friday 24 August for Melbourne.	All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Friday 24 August for Adelaide.	All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Saturday 25 August for Perth.

Over the next few days there are a series of very bright ISS pass. Many will pass close to bright planets or shoot between the pointers and the Southern cross. However, there are particularly close passes to Venus on the 24th (Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne), 25th (Perth) and 26th (Sydney, Hobart). On other days there are close passes to Mars.

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


21 Aug	-1.4	18:42:51	10°	NE	18:43:14	10°	NE	18:43:14	10°	NE	visible
22 Aug	-3.2	19:24:18	10°	NW	19:26:53	47°	N	19:26:53	47°	N	visible
23 Aug	-2.7	18:32:47	10°	NNW	18:35:41	28°	NE	18:37:43	16°	E	visible
23 Aug	-0.8	20:09:21	10°	W	20:10:26	17°	WSW	20:10:26	17°	WSW	visible
24 Aug	-2.9	19:16:49	10°	WNW	19:20:02	45°	SW	19:21:07	32°	S	visible
25 Aug	-3.8	18:24:40	10°	NW	18:28:00	85°	NE	18:31:21	10°	SE	visible
25 Aug	-0.8	20:03:11	10°	WSW	20:04:22	13°	SW	20:04:22	13°	SW	visible
26 Aug	-1.5	19:10:01	10°	W	19:12:37	20°	SSW	19:14:49	12°	SSE	visible
27 Aug	-2.3	18:17:19	10°	WNW	18:20:25	35°	SW	18:23:33	10°	SSE	visible
28 Aug	-0.9	19:04:09	10°	SW	19:05:19	11°	SSW	19:06:29	10°	S	visible

Passes from Brisbane


22 Aug	-3.6	18:18:53	10°	NNW	18:22:06	53°	NE	18:24:11	20°	ESE	visible
23 Aug	-1.5	19:04:04	10°	W	19:06:40	21°	SW	19:07:45	18°	SSW	visible
24 Aug	-2.7	18:11:25	10°	WNW	18:14:36	42°	SW	18:17:48	10°	SSE	visible
26 Aug	-1.1	18:05:01	10°	W	18:07:12	16°	SW	18:09:24	10°	S	visible

Passes from Darwin


22 Aug	-2.6	06:05:20	23°	W	06:06:08	25°	NW	06:08:54	10°	N	visible
22 Aug	-1.3	19:19:19	10°	W	19:21:50	20°	SW	19:24:24	10°	S	visible
23 Aug	-1.5	05:16:25	19°	NNE	05:16:25	19°	NNE	05:17:30	10°	NNE	visible

Passes from Melbourne


22 Aug	-1.4	19:55:47	10°	NW	19:56:53	19°	NW	19:56:53	19°	NW	visible
23 Aug	-3.2	19:04:03	10°	NNW	19:07:11	39°	NE	19:07:42	36°	ENE	visible
24 Aug	-2.1	18:12:50	10°	N	18:15:19	20°	NE	18:17:50	10°	E	visible
24 Aug	-2.3	19:48:27	10°	WNW	19:51:06	36°	WSW	19:51:06	36°	WSW	visible
25 Aug	-3.7	18:56:13	10°	NW	18:59:32	76°	SW	19:01:40	21°	SE	visible
26 Aug	-1.6	19:41:38	10°	WSW	19:44:15	20°	SSW	19:44:48	20°	SSW	visible
27 Aug	-2.2	18:48:58	10°	W	18:52:01	32°	SSW	18:55:05	10°	SSE	visible
28 Aug	-1.1	19:35:19	10°	SW	19:36:57	13°	SSW	19:38:04	11°	S	visible
29 Aug	-1.3	18:42:13	10°	WSW	18:44:36	18°	SSW	18:46:59	10°	SSE	visible
31 Aug	-1.0	18:36:01	10°	SW	18:37:16	12°	SSW	18:38:32	10°	S	visible

Passes from Perth


21 Aug	-1.9	18:43:32	10°	NNE	18:45:32	15°	NE	18:45:58	15°	ENE	visible
21 Aug	-0.3	20:18:40	10°	WNW	20:18:42	10°	WNW	20:18:42	10°	WNW	visible
22 Aug	-3.7	19:26:26	10°	NW	19:29:37	76°	WSW	19:29:37	76°	WSW	visible
23 Aug	-3.3	18:34:37	10°	NNW	18:37:48	44°	NE	18:40:26	14°	ESE	visible
23 Aug	-0.6	20:12:19	10°	WSW	20:13:08	13°	WSW	20:13:08	13°	WSW	visible
24 Aug	-1.9	19:19:22	10°	W	19:22:16	27°	SW	19:23:49	19°	S	visible
25 Aug	-3.2	18:26:55	10°	WNW	18:30:11	56°	SW	18:33:30	10°	SE	visible
26 Aug	-1.0	19:13:16	10°	WSW	19:14:57	13°	SSW	19:16:37	10°	S	visible
27 Aug	-1.5	18:20:00	10°	W	18:22:41	22°	SW	18:25:23	10°	SSE	visible

Passes from Sydney


22 Aug	-2.3	18:20:36	10°	N	18:23:10	21°	NE	18:24:11	18°	ENE	visible
22 Aug	-0.4	19:56:33	10°	W	19:56:54	12°	W	19:56:54	12°	W	visible
23 Aug	-3.4	19:04:12	10°	WNW	19:07:29	59°	SW	19:07:45	56°	SSW	visible
24 Aug	-3.7	18:12:14	10°	NW	18:15:31	62°	NE	18:18:28	13°	SE	visible
24 Aug	-0.6	19:50:20	10°	WSW	19:51:11	13°	SW	19:51:11	13°	SW	visible
25 Aug	-1.7	18:57:19	10°	W	19:00:06	24°	SW	19:01:46	17°	S	visible
26 Aug	-2.7	18:04:46	10°	WNW	18:07:58	44°	SW	18:11:13	10°	SE	visible
27 Aug	-0.9	18:51:21	10°	SW	18:52:50	12°	SSW	18:54:19	10°	S	visible
28 Aug	-1.4	17:58:03	10°	W	18:00:34	19°	SSW	18:03:06	10°	SSE	visible

Passes from Hobart


23 Aug	-2.2	19:05:39	10°	NNW	19:07:42	23°	NNE	19:07:42	23°	NNE	visible
24 Aug	-1.7	18:14:46	10°	NNE	18:16:40	14°	NE	18:18:24	11°	E	visible
24 Aug	-1.8	19:49:26	10°	WNW	19:51:07	27°	WNW	19:51:07	27°	WNW	visible
25 Aug	-3.7	18:57:28	10°	NW	19:00:46	61°	NE	19:01:40	41°	E	visible
26 Aug	-2.8	18:05:47	10°	NNW	18:08:49	32°	NE	18:11:53	10°	ESE	visible
26 Aug	-2.3	19:42:06	10°	W	19:44:49	36°	SW	19:44:49	36°	SW	visible
27 Aug	-3.4	18:49:49	10°	WNW	18:53:09	61°	SSW	18:55:09	22°	SE	visible
27 Aug	-0.3	20:27:30	10°	WSW	20:27:50	12°	WSW	20:27:50	12°	WSW	visible
28 Aug	-2.0	19:34:59	10°	WSW	19:37:52	25°	SSW	19:38:04	25°	S	visible
29 Aug	-2.4	18:42:30	10°	W	18:45:37	34°	SSW	18:48:14	13°	SE	visible
29 Aug	-0.5	20:20:22	10°	SW	20:20:54	12°	SW	20:20:54	12°	SW	visible
30 Aug	-1.7	19:27:54	10°	WSW	19:30:28	20°	S	19:31:00	19°	S	visible
31 Aug	-1.8	18:35:21	10°	WSW	18:38:08	23°	SSW	18:40:56	10°	SE	visible
31 Aug	-0.8	20:12:58	10°	SW	20:13:43	14°	SSW	20:13:43	14°	SSW	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 Venus or missing it completely.

As always, 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