Look Up

NASA's International Space Station Clearly Visible

The International Space Station as seen in its ULF3 configuration by the departing Space Shuttle <em>Atlantis</em>, following the departure of STS-129, which delivered ExPRESS Logistics Carriers 1 & 2 to the orbital outpost. The newly-arrived Russian <em>Poisk</em> module is also visible.

During these times of economic hardship and intensified hustle it is often hard to maintain a sunny perspective. Tonight, however, Santa Barbarans can look to the sky for a glimmer of brightness.

At around 6:15 p.m., NASA’s International Space Station will be visible at a magnificent magnitude of around -3 to -4, depending on your location. (Magnitude is an astrological measurement of brightness: The lower the number the more radiant the object.) The 240-foot-long ISS is one of the largest and most luminous objects visible in the night sky. The Station orbits the earth doing international research daily with a crew of 22 members and tackles a variety of missions monthly. Recently, the members have been preparing spacewalks and assembling robotic hardware.

If you would like to find out more about the ISS and their missions or general information about astronomy see this website .

To find out exactly when and in what direction you can see the ISS tonight, go here.

ISS sightings can also be sent and monitored on your iPhone or iPod by downloading the Satellite Flybys application on the same website.