Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 1:29 pmQUOTE
Warm and clear summer nights will have a little something extra for space junkies this week.
The International Space Station - ISS - will soar over New Zealand at times which mean it will be in sunlight while the country is in twilight or darkness.
It will mean the ISS is, to the naked eye, at its maximum brightness.
Tonight it will race up from the south west at around 10.12 pm and sweep across the sky remaining visible for three minutes.
According to the tracking site heavens-above.com it will be around 340 kilometres above Earth.
Tonight it will not actually cross New Zealand - just missing a track over North Cape.
But tomorrow night, at 8.59pm, it will brush the South Island's Cape Farewell and pass over the North Island coast from around Hawera in Taranaki to Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty. It will be visible for just under four minutes.
Last weekend Russian Mission Control lifted the ISS's orbit by 5.25 kilometres in preparation for visits to it next month by US and Russian spacecraft.[/quote]
For those who are interested, this was a report from Monday. It should be visable tonight at 9.20pm travelling from South to North across the North Western part of the country- let us know if you spot it!
The International Space Station - ISS - will soar over New Zealand at times which mean it will be in sunlight while the country is in twilight or darkness.
It will mean the ISS is, to the naked eye, at its maximum brightness.
Tonight it will race up from the south west at around 10.12 pm and sweep across the sky remaining visible for three minutes.
According to the tracking site heavens-above.com it will be around 340 kilometres above Earth.
Tonight it will not actually cross New Zealand - just missing a track over North Cape.
But tomorrow night, at 8.59pm, it will brush the South Island's Cape Farewell and pass over the North Island coast from around Hawera in Taranaki to Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty. It will be visible for just under four minutes.
Last weekend Russian Mission Control lifted the ISS's orbit by 5.25 kilometres in preparation for visits to it next month by US and Russian spacecraft.[/quote]
For those who are interested, this was a report from Monday. It should be visable tonight at 9.20pm travelling from South to North across the North Western part of the country- let us know if you spot it!
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 1:49 pmWasn't that last night?
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:51 pmi saw it last night fly over
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:57 pmIll be looking out for it tonight 
thanks for the heads up , should be good if the clouds move a bit
thanks for the heads up , should be good if the clouds move a bitPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:20 pmThat's Auckland - 4 seasons in a day.
At sundown there was a glorious, absolutely cloudless sky.
Just in time for the ISS, 10/10ths
At sundown there was a glorious, absolutely cloudless sky.
Just in time for the ISS, 10/10ths
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:24 pmDidn't see anything 
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 9:10 pmWell, I look at my clock, and it says 10:10. Ill just nip out for a quick look and tell you if i see something
EDIT I had a look outside, and it was completely clouded over.... Oh well, guess it just looks like the MIR did?
EDIT I had a look outside, and it was completely clouded over.... Oh well, guess it just looks like the MIR did?
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 9:16 pmI saw it at about 9.25 as it crossed half the sky then disappeared into clouds- much faster than an aircraft and just looked like a bright star, although no other stars were out at that time. This was the 2nd time I've seen it in about a year and it's still pretty impressive!