[brj]

Hi guys.

Just in case you're interested, the Space Shuttle and International Space Station are separating tonight, and both will be visible both tonight and tomorrow during their orbits.  Because the ISS now has its new solar panels deployed, it should be very bright and easy to spot with the naked eye.

They will be visible across much of the US, but Denver locals want to be looking 32 degrees above the Northwest horizon tonight at 10:05 PM MST, and 15 degrees above the West-Northwest horizon tomorrow night at 10:25 PM MST.  They will only be visible for about 2 minutes as they cross the sky, but with a decent pair of binoculars and a steady hand, some of their shape should be discernible.

This link at space.com describes what people can expect tonight, and contains other links that will let anyone determine when the Shuttle, ISS or other major satellites will pass over their location.

Any suggestions for a good viewing location in the Denver area?  It would be nice to be at a higher elevation and into the foothills a bit so some of Denver's light pollution is blocked.

[mgalusha]

Any suggestions for a good viewing location in the Denver area?  It would be nice to be at a higher elevation and into the foothills a bit so some of Denver's light pollution is blocked.

My backyard works pretty well. We're far enough from the city that a lot of the light pollution is gone and the elevation is about 7400ft. Not that this is a good option for you but I do appreciate the heads up Brian. Now if I can just stay up late enough to see this.

[Bob in St. Louis]

I posted this in another forum, thought it was cool too.
Here's the post with a few links. The "heavens-above" link helps locate the object in the sky:

The International Space Station and Shuttle Atlantis will be docked for a couple days creating the largest manmade object in the sky. This combined with shiny reflective surfaces will make for a rather bright, fast moving object in the sky over the next two days (18,000 miles per hour  ). I know it'll be able to be seen from the lower 48, but not sure about you fellas in other countries.

Here's the article:
http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/atlantis-space-shuttle-mission/20070608190509990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Also see a cool web site dedicated to the "satellite spotters" here on the ground. No telescopes needed. Tell it your zip code and it'll tell you what manmade object will be passing over your location at what time and even how bright it will be.

http://www.heavens-above.com/
EDIT: Go to "Anonymous Users" then click "Select your location..." Then type the town you live in.

Bob

[klh]

Just to clarify... would that be around 9:00 tonight in California.

[brj]

Just to clarify... would that be around 9:00 tonight in California.

Good point - thanks!  Added "MST" to the listed times in my original post in order to clarify.

Thanks for providing the extra info, Bob.

My backyard works pretty well.

  A bit more of a drive than I had hoped for... considering that they will be visible for 2 minutes!

I do appreciate the heads up Brian.

No problem - I thought it might be the kind of thing that some would be interested in if they knew about it.  A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to see one of the burned-out stages of a Soyuz launch re-enter the atmosphere.  It was an amazing sight, because as it swept across the horizon, it continued to breakup into pieces and the various metals burned with different colors from the friction of reentry.  It was really something to see.

[Speedskater]

I watched them go over Cleveland the last three nights.
But tonight they will be separated by 16 seconds, shuttle first then the space station.
Now if the clouds clear, I'll be all set.

Remember the whole pass is only visible for 4 minutes!

[AB]

Thanks for the heads up.

They went almost directly over head right on schedule. Very, very bright.

If I hadn't known what they were I would have been scratching my head - two satellites chasing one another?

[eric the red]

Very cool-they just went over my house. The ISS flashed very bright briefly....