"starman" wrote in message
...
Honus wrote:

I've seen the shuttle go overhead, which is a pretty rare
occurrence considering the part of the world that I live in. (Seattle.)

It may be rare to see the Shuttle because of your weather there but it's
not at all rare for the Shuttle to pass over the northwest US.

Well then, I'll have to investigate that further. If I learn I've been
missing viewing opportunities, I'm not going to be happy. Thanks for the
heads up.

On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 04:08:41 GMT, "Honus"
wrote:


"uncle arnie" &mex. wrote in message
...
On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 03:47 pm, Markeau posted to
rec.radio.shortwave: %MM

http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/toc.asp?s=Tracking

Thanks, but it wants a "zip code" and I don't have one of those, not being
in your country.

Keep looking on the web. For most programs you'll need latitude and
longitude, sometimes altitude as well or so I've heard. I'm at sea level
basically, so that was never an issue for me. You'll also need to download
orbit info on occasion, so whatever program you pick probably isn't going to
be accurate "right out of the box".

Orbitron prompts you to download fresh sets when it detects
that you're trying to use ones older than 30 days.

Satellite orbits degrade and/or are
adjusted, and you'll have to download the new info. (They're called
elements, or element sets...elsets for short.) It's easy enough; just
something you need to be aware of. There are also elements for shuttle
flights (SST), etc. and for obvious reasons you'll need to download elements
after each launch. I've seen the shuttle go overhead, which is a pretty rare
occurrence considering the part of the world that I live in. (Seattle.) Very
cool, and worth the effort. If you really get into this sort of thing,
you'll also want to keep an eye out for Iridium flares. Exceptionally cool!

Damn. All of this reminiscing makes me wish I'd moved -out- of the city.
sigh I've seen some neat things up there!

Oh, hell...I'll look those Iridium flares up right now.......and here we go:

http://satobs.org/iridium.html

The photos are neat, but they can't do justice to the real thing. I was out
on the Puget Sound heading back to the harbor with my brother in law at the
helm late one dark night when I saw one overhead. Too breathtaking for
words. By the time I could point it out it was gone, and I knew I wouldn't
have been able to describe how magnificent it was...so I kept it to myself.
They're that neat.

And since I'm in a Googling mood, this will help the novice (and expert)
satellite observer:

http://satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html

"bug" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 16 Nov 2004 01:25:28 -0500, starman
wrote:

Honus wrote:

I've seen the shuttle go overhead, which is a pretty rare
occurrence considering the part of the world that I live in.
(Seattle.)

It may be rare to see the Shuttle because of your weather there but
it's
not at all rare for the Shuttle to pass over the northwest US.

Let's see.

About 5 years ago I was watching the local 6 o'clock news. And, the
anchor said the Space Shuttle would be moving overhead ( I live in
southwestern Ohio) in the next 5 minutes or so in the southeastern
sky.

So, my partner and I run out and take a look up.

Sure enough, there was the shuttle streaking past at 17,000 mph. We
only saw it for a few seconds, but it was still an incredible sight!

Whereabouts in SW Ohio?? Sounds like something
Channel 12 might have done. If you're curious about
where I live, let's just say that I'm inundated with
Colerain fans right now.

--Mike L.

bug wrote:

On Tue, 16 Nov 2004 01:25:28 -0500, starman wrote:

Honus wrote:

I've seen the shuttle go overhead, which is a pretty rare
occurrence considering the part of the world that I live in. (Seattle.)

It may be rare to see the Shuttle because of your weather there but it's
not at all rare for the Shuttle to pass over the northwest US.

Let's see.

About 5 years ago I was watching the local 6 o'clock news. And, the
anchor said the Space Shuttle would be moving overhead ( I live in
southwestern Ohio) in the next 5 minutes or so in the southeastern
sky.

So, my partner and I run out and take a look up.

Sure enough, there was the shuttle streaking past at 17,000 mph. We
only saw it for a few seconds, but it was still an incredible sight!

bug

It takes several minutes for the Shuttle (most satellites) to pass from
one horizon to the opposite one, so you probably missed most of that
pass.
However you can't always see all of the pass because of unfavorable
lighting conditions.

Here's the website I use for satellite visibility predictions.

http://www.heavens-above.com/


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