Tonight in the sky: Discovery and Space Station
This evening, the shuttle Discovery and the Space Station will be visible around 5 pm. The weather forecast is calling for clear skies. Both satellites will follow similar tracks across the sky, several minutes apart. They will rise in the west, pass between the bright stars Vega and Deneb, reach peak elevation high in the northwest sky (55 degrees elevation), pass near the north star (Polaris), and enter the Earth's shadow low in the northeast. The shuttle is expected around 5:04 pm, the space station around 5:14 pm. The objects move quickly along their orbits, and each will be visible for no more than about 4 minutes, with perhaps 1 minute of good visibility. The forecast time for the shuttle is somewhat uncertain because it may make orbital adjustments in preparation for landing tomorrow - it's good to start watching a few minutes early, just in case. When visible, each satellite will be among the brightest objects in the sky, and could easily be mistaken for airplanes by people unaware of what's happening. These objects are shining by reflected sunlight - they're high enough that the sun is still visible from orbit, even though it will be dark on the ground. From the Heavens Above website, here are predictions and finder charts for Discovery and Space Station as seen from Boston tonight. These satellites will be visible from most locations in North America, so if you're elsewhere, you can change the location on the website to get predictions for your area.