If the skies are clear, it just so happens that most days over the holiday, you can get a great view at round about teatime of the International Space Station serenely floating across the sky.

Here's a calendar giving approximate times and directions:
http://goo.gl/D4Uc1
I've highlighted the potentially bets ones (where the ISS climbs to a reasonable height) but you could potentially see them all, clear skies permitting.

So for example tonight if you look low in the SW at 17:42 you'll see the ISS slowly approach and rise, until at 17:44:26 it will be fairly low (33 degrees, i.e 1/3rd from the horizon to straight up) and due South - then it will suddenly "disappear" (as the ISS passes into the Earth's shadow), just after it passes underneath Jupiter.

You can get individual sky charts with a diagram of every pass (and lots more) at the excellent http://www.heavens-above.com/

Here's the 17:42 pass, from your right to left:


While you're waiting, you may if the sky is clear see some faint moving objects. These are not UFOs, but are actually various satellites which will happen all to be criss-crossing the sky all at the same time


Satellite------------Time of peak elevation, and direction
H-2A R/B------------17:34:09 74° WNW travelling to SSW
Cosmos 1842--------17:34:18 74° E travelling to NNE
APEX-----__-----------17:33:14 70° ESE travelling to NE
Cosmos 2369 Rocket-17:35:59 69° NE travelling to SE
Lacrosse 4 Rocket-----17:36:33 31° NW travelling to NNE

If we get clouded out (sadly more nights than not) don't worry, get on heavens-above.com any clear night and you can get all this info for free.

Enjoy, and Merry Christmas all.

If the skies are clear, it just so happens that most days over the holiday, you can get a great view at round about teatime of the International Space Station serenely floating across the sky.

Here's a calendar giving approximate times and directions:
http://goo.gl/D4Uc1
I've highlighted the potentially bets ones (where the ISS climbs to a reasonable height) but you could potentially see them all, clear skies permitting.

So for example tonight if you look low in the SW at 17:42 you'll see the ISS slowly approach and rise, until at 17:44:26 it will be fairly low (33 degrees, i.e 1/3rd from the horizon to straight up) and due South - then it will suddenly "disappear" (as the ISS passes into the Earth's shadow), just after it passes underneath Jupiter.

You can get individual sky charts with a diagram of every pass (and lots more) at the excellent http://www.heavens-above.com/

Here's the 17:42 pass, from your right to left:


While you're waiting, you may if the sky is clear see some faint moving objects. These are not UFOs, but are actually various satellites which will happen all to be criss-crossing the sky all at the same time


Satellite------------Time of peak elevation, and direction
H-2A R/B------------17:34:09 74° WNW travelling to SSW
Cosmos 1842--------17:34:18 74° E travelling to NNE
APEX-----__-----------17:33:14 70° ESE travelling to NE
Cosmos 2369 Rocket-17:35:59 69° NE travelling to SE
Lacrosse 4 Rocket-----17:36:33 31° NW travelling to NNE

If we get clouded out (sadly more nights than not) don't worry, get on heavens-above.com any clear night and you can get all this info for free.

Enjoy, and Merry Christmas all.

That was Vega. Would have been low, but easily the brightest object in the northern sky. Not the Pole Star, which is actually quite faint, but if you are still around then, Vega will oddly enough be promoted to pole star in around the year 13,725!

You were actually viewing live a scene from the past (1986), as that's when the light you saw actually set off from Vega.


No need for that sort of language - it's Astronomy not that "astrology" sheeiiiite!!


Print it out and stand facing due South. The 'S' is then directly south, on the horizon, and the centre of the chart is directly overhead.

If you turn to face directly West - just turn the chart clockwise through 90 degrees, so that it is sideways, and so that the "W" now appears to you to be at the bottom.

The Astronomy Now sky chart makes it a bit more user friendly.

If you face due North at around 7pm, the Plough is above the northern horizon, and the "right way up" so it's hard to miss. Above that, at about 45 degrees, is a pretty unremarkable little star, but still easily the brightest in a patch of very faint sky; that's Polaris.

That was Vega. Would have been low, but easily the brightest object in the northern sky. Not the Pole Star, which is actually quite faint, but if you are still around then, Vega will oddly enough be promoted to pole star in around the year 13,725!

You were actually viewing live a scene from the past (1986), as that's when the light you saw actually set off from Vega.


No need for that sort of language - it's Astronomy not that "astrology" sheeiiiite!!


Print it out and stand facing due South. The 'S' is then directly south, on the horizon, and the centre of the chart is directly overhead.

If you turn to face directly West - just turn the chart clockwise through 90 degrees, so that it is sideways, and so that the "W" now appears to you to be at the bottom.

The Astronomy Now sky chart makes it a bit more user friendly.

If you face due North at around 7pm, the Plough is above the northern horizon, and the "right way up" so it's hard to miss. Above that, at about 45 degrees, is a pretty unremarkable little star, but still easily the brightest in a patch of very faint sky; that's Polaris.

Cheers, I'm going to try that tonight, the dog will think I'm barmy while we stare at the sky together but what the hell.

And apologies for the astronomy/astrology gaff - if it makes it any easier to bear I believe that Russell Grant should be burned at the charlatans torch post along with various priests/archbishops and QVC presenters.


PS - your explanation of Vega was uncannily correct, it was low in the sky and by far the brightest thing in a dark landscape.

PPS - for other astronomy duffers, basically if I stand in my garden holding that plan (above) then I'm stood in the middle of that plan, the sky directly above my head is also the middle of that plan, and the plan changes day by day on that linked web site ?

Cheers, I'm going to try that tonight, the dog will think I'm barmy while we stare at the sky together but what the hell.

And apologies for the astronomy/astrology gaff - if it makes it any easier to bear I believe that Russell Grant should be burned at the charlatans torch post along with various priests/archbishops and QVC presenters.


PS - your explanation of Vega was uncannily correct, it was low in the sky and by far the brightest thing in a dark landscape.

PPS - for other astronomy duffers, basically if I stand in my garden holding that plan (above) then I'm stood in the middle of that plan, the sky directly above my head is also the middle of that plan, and the plan changes day by day on that linked web site ?