William Atkins
Wednesday, 09 September 2009 18:55
Science -
Space
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There is still time to see both the space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station fly together over your local night sky on Wednesday, September 9, 2009; that is, if they are in orbits that pass over your locale.
The space shuttle
Discovery undocked from the International Space Station at 3:26 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Tuesday, September 8, 2009.
The two vehicles—Discovery and the space station—are now orbiting the Earth side-by-side as the space shuttle slowly backs off from the station.
You should be able to see them as a pair of bright lights in the night sky; that is, if they are in orbits that go over your locality on Wednesday night.
Go to
http://spaceweather.com to see if you will be able to see this “double flyby” over your local sky Wednesday night.
Discovery returns home to Earth on Thursday, at approximately 7:09 p.m. EDT (23:09 UTC).
However, if the weather is bad at the NASA Kennedy Space Center, then the
landing may be waived off, and you may get another chance on Thursday
night to see the pair over your night sky.
You can also go straight to
Satellite Flybys within the SpaceWeather.com website to find out viewing opportunities in your local area.
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