Did I See the ISS?

Definitely Venus. Was out at Bainbridge tonight looking at the same direction and saw it.

Venus was low in the SW sky right after sunset (CST) tonight. It's VERY bright, certainly can't miss it in the sky.

If you have an Andriod based phone or tablet then download and install the Google Sky Map (FREEBIE!) app, it helps to quickly ID objects in the sky, such as plants, stars, constellations. I use it because it's easily portable on my phone and my tablet to quickly take it outside --

https://play.google.co​m …e.android.stard​roid&hl=en

The link below might be helpful for would be spotters. This is for my location, but no doubt you can set it to where you live.


http://spotthestation.​nasa.gov …Peterborough#.U​ndMMJGD1gO

OK, it sounds like Venus!

Weird, because it really didn't become visible until right after sunset, about 7:00 PM here (now 6:00 PM after daylight savings time stopped) and by then it was already over to the SW, but still it was the brightest spot in the sky (with no moon around)!

There is no mistaking the ISS, it moves through it's arc quite quickly, often 3/4 minutes at most.

This was one I took of the ISS back in August, sadly it suffers from some light pollution. It was traveling from top right to bottom left, SW to NE.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/killwilly/10665​983824/

While I agree it does sound like Venus, I'm not sure I'd decscribe it as 'gliding south-west'. It moves very slowly across the sky - about 2.5º in 10 minutes

hollis_f wrote in post #16422781
While I agree it does sound like Venus, I'm not sure I'd decscribe it as 'gliding south-west'. It moves very slowly across the sky - about 2.5º in 10 minutes

Just caught up, but if not a very bright planet, what could it be? I'm stumped, I'm not an "astro-guy"!

By the way, it still shows up at the same time (going back from Daylight Savings Time) so at 6:00 PM its trajectory has taken it squarely into the SouthWest. But, since I can't see it around sunset from my viewpoint, I can only assume a Northeast to Southwest trajectory!

tonylong wrote in post #16447566
By the way, it still shows up at the same time (going back from Daylight Savings Time) so at 6:00 PM its trajectory has taken it squarely into the SouthWest. But, since I can't see it around sunset from my viewpoint, I can only assume a Northeast to Southwest trajectory!

Tony, I know you would recognize an airplane, it would have blinking lights, and from the time of your observation, within a few minutes would be gone. If you have binoculars use them to view this object. Since Venus is between us and the Sun it will always be in a phase like our moon goes thru. Although with standard bins this may not be apparent. Still if you can't discern it moving as an airplane would then it must be Venus, as it is located in the SW sky.

tonylong wrote in post #16447557
Just caught up, but if not a very bright planet, what could it be? I'm stumped, I'm not an "astro-guy"!

I reckon it must be Venus but that the amount of movement has been slightly overestimated. Try watching it for 5 minutes. In that time it should move just over 1º - that's about the width of your pinkie finger held at arm's length.

It must be Venus!

Tonylong, any updates?