Tuesday, 20 September 2011

ISS Fly-by

I was very lucky recently to witness the International Space Station (ISS) pass overhead. I was sadly too slow to get any pictures but it was still an extremely impressive sight as it appeared much brighter than any star and travelled at mind-numbing speed across the night sky. It also makes the following video even cooler to see things from the other way round.

It is a time-lapse made from images that the ISS captured on an orbit of the planet. It begins over the Pacific Ocean and continues over North and South America before entering daylight near Antarctica. Visible cities, countries and landmarks include (in order) Vancouver Island, Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Fransisco, Los Angeles. Phoenix. Multiple cities in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. Mexico City, the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, Lightning in the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and the Amazon. Also visible is the Earth's ionosphere (thin yellow line) and the stars of our galaxy.


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