Colourful stars & International Space Station

CO19

I've noticed the last while from looking at stars that they look like they're flashing loads of different colours like Christmas tree lights,I'm just wondering what these colours are ?

Also I'm wondering is this the ISS I'm seeing most nights ?,it's bright white and T shaped when I look through my binoculars coming from sometimes south or south west direction but it hardly moves and does be in the sky for a good few hours,it does move after 2 or 3 hours over to the west.
From what I've searched the space station is bright white and T shaped but apparently it moves very fast across the sky and the maximum amount of time you can see it for is 5 mins,so I'm wondering what I'm seeing in the sky ?

Thanks for any help

thecommander

From my limited knowledge of stars the reason for the colouring and blinking is due to the air in the atmosphere defracting the light as it pass thru it.

Correct on the ISS, its moves at a fair pace across the sky, usually about 3 minutes. Its never stationary. Not sure what the static one you're looking at it. Possibly a satellite?

CO19

thecommander wrote: »

From my limited knowledge of stars the reason for the colouring and blinking is due to the air in the atmosphere defracting the light as it pass thru it.

Correct on the ISS, its moves at a fair pace across the sky, usually about 3 minutes. Its never stationary. Not sure what the static one you're looking at it. Possibly a satellite?

Thanks for that yea I was thinking to myself when looking at all the colours flashing around the star that it was probably somethin to do with the light from it getting bounced around from the atmosphere or something along those lines

Probably is a satellite but it matches the exact description of the ISS, this T shaped thing I'm seeing always seems to appear in the south then after a few hours moves over to the west then is gone by midnight or 1am

Mongarra

It is definitely not the ISS. I get the "Astronomy and Space" magazine each month from Astronomy Ireland and in it they give the dates during which the ISS is visible over Ireland. From memory I think the next start date is 21st February and it is usually for about 2 weeks. Then a break of a month or so, and so on. If you text "Space" to 57003 (cost €1) during the dates they will tell you the exact time it will pass over.

There may be other ways of getting times, say on NASA or the like but I am not sure.

Cú Giobach

CO19 wrote: »

Probably is a satellite but it matches the exact description of the ISS, this T shaped thing I'm seeing always seems to appear in the south then after a few hours moves over to the west then is gone by midnight or 1am

Any details about this "T" shaped thing , ie the time it appears and disappears, there isn't anything up there that could be described like that (the ISS just looks like a bright star, you can't make out any "shape" to it).
Saturn can appear oval shaped through binoculars (or as Galileo mentioned it seemed to have "ears" ) but that rises around midnight and is visible till sunrise at the moment.

Mongarra wrote: »

There may be other ways of getting times, say on NASA or the like but I am not sure.

Check out This if you input your location it shows everything passing over (for free ).

Zubeneschamali

Cú Giobach wrote: »

Any details about this "T" shaped thing

I'll guess it's Jupiter seen through ropey binoculars.

MRPRO03

Mongarra wrote: »

It is definitely not the ISS. I get the "Astronomy and Space" magazine each month from Astronomy Ireland and in it they give the dates during which the ISS is visible over Ireland. From memory I think the next start date is 21st February and it is usually for about 2 weeks. Then a break of a month or so, and so on. If you text "Space" to 57003 (cost €1) during the dates they will tell you the exact time it will pass over.

There may be other ways of getting times, say on NASA or the like but I am not sure.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/skywatch.cgi?country=Ireland

Cú Giobach

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

I'll guess it's Jupiter seen through ropey binoculars.

Probably.

PS, I love your username, I must have spent ages trying to remember and get the pronunciation of the two "zubens" right.

CO19

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

I'll guess it's Jupiter seen through ropey binoculars.

It's a clear T shape like a T on its side like this -| the binoculars i have are a good pair so when i zoom and focus it it becomes that clear bright white T shape with what appears to be slight red flaming on the very top of it.

MRPRO03 wrote: »

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/skywatch.cgi?country=Ireland

That's the sightings times site I use

Cú Giobach wrote: »

Any details about this "T" shaped thing , ie the time it appears and disappears, there isn't anything up there that could be described like that (the ISS just looks like a bright star, you can't make out any "shape" to it).
Saturn can appear oval shaped through binoculars (or as Galileo mentioned it seemed to have "ears" ) but that rises around midnight and is visible till sunrise at the moment.

It seems to appear around the 5 O'clock mark or when the sky starts to get dark,it starts in the south then after a few hours has moved over to the west then disappears.
It looks like a really bright star,you can't miss it as it's the brightest thing in the sky then when you look at it through binoculars it's T shaped.
From my reading of this web site http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/blog/joerao/2009/07/01/how-spot-international-space-station-and-other-satellites
the ISS is T-shaped which is why I though it may have been that.

eddiem10

http://www.calsky.com/ Another very good......and FREE site!!

Calibos

CO19 wrote: »

It's a clear T shape like a T on its side like this -| the binoculars i have are a good pair so when i zoom and focus it it becomes that clear bright white T shape with what appears to be slight red flaming on the very top of it.



That's the sightings times site I use




It seems to appear around the 5 O'clock mark or when the sky starts to get dark,it starts in the south then after a few hours has moved over to the west then disappears.
It looks like a really bright star,you can't miss it as it's the brightest thing in the sky then when you look at it through binoculars it's T shaped.
From my reading of this web site http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/blog/joerao/2009/07/01/how-spot-international-space-station-and-other-satellites
the ISS is T-shaped which is why I though it may have been that.

I've a fabulous expensive set of 15x70 Binoculars. Matters not a jot though after one drops them and knocks them out of collimation.

The directions and timings you mention and the fact you say its the brightest thing in the sky tell me it is without a shadow of a doubt Jupiter that you are looking at.

I could answer this for certain in about 2 seconds flat even if we didn't have your binoculars if I was standing beside you. You'd point at the object and I'd say whether it was Jupiter or not. However you can know for certain by yourself next week. On Sunday 6th the crescent moon will be just to the right of Jupiter(your Object) and on Monday 7th the crescent moon will be just above Jupiter (Your object)

Cú Giobach

CO19 wrote: »

It's a clear T shape like a T on its side like this -| the binoculars i have are a good pair so when i zoom and focus it it becomes that clear bright white T shape with what appears to be slight red flaming on the very top of it.

It seems to appear around the 5 O'clock mark or when the sky starts to get dark,it starts in the south then after a few hours has moved over to the west then disappears.
It looks like a really bright star,you can't miss it as it's the brightest thing in the sky then when you look at it through binoculars it's T shaped.
From my reading of this web site http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/blog/joerao/2009/07/01/how-spot-international-space-station-and-other-satellites
the ISS is T-shaped which is why I though it may have been that.

The brightest thing in the evening sky at the moment is Jupiter (the star Sirius is very bright too but I wouldn't think it's that), it's visible in the SW as the sky gets dark, moves west and sets about 10 o'clock.
Are you holding your binos by hand? If so try to rest them on something solid eg a wall or a windowsill, keep them as steady as possible.
It should resolve into the planet and up to 4 points of light lined up alongside or either side of it, these are its moons and I'm guessing if they are lined up right it could (at a stretch) look T'ish shaped with unsteady binos.

If you see the ISS you will definitely know what you are looking at, it is like a very very bright star moving fast across the sky. You won't see any shape to the ISS following it across the sky with binos.

NoQuarter

Wondering if he T shape is Jupiter with one or two moons sticking out to the side??

CO19

NoQuarter wrote: »

Wondering if he T shape is Jupiter with one or two moons sticking out to the side??

Could very well be but it's as clear as anything T shaped,really annoying me now as to know what for definite am I looking at

Calibos

CO19 wrote: »

Could very well be but it's as clear as anything T shaped,really annoying me now as to know what for definite am I looking at

Look at the object with the Bino's. Note the orientation of the T. Now tilt your neck to the right. If the T stays orientated the same with respect to your field of view (ie the T is rotating clockwise as you tilt the Binos right)then its Jupiter and the T shape is caused by your optics being out of alignment. If the T rotates anticlockwise to the left with respect to the FOV then the object is indeed shaped like a T and I have no idea what it could be.

100% sure its Jupiter though.

CO19

Calibos wrote: »

Look at the object with the Bino's. Note the orientation of the T. Now tilt your neck to the right. If the T stays orientated the same with respect to your field of view (ie the T is rotating clockwise as you tilt the Binos right)then its Jupiter and the T shape is caused by your optics being out of alignment. If the T rotates anticlockwise to the left with respect to the FOV then the object is indeed shaped like a T and I have no idea what it could be.

100% sure its Jupiter though.

Thanks a million for that,Ill definately try that out tonight and see what happens

tricky D

Mongarra wrote: »

If you text "Space" to 57003 (cost €1) during the dates they will tell you the exact time it will pass over.

This is a complete rip off. There's already a thread on Astronomy Ireland in which they don't come out well.

Follow the other links given or http://www.heavens-above.com/ for free.

Flukey

Another very good ISS tracking site is the Real Time Satellite Tracking site. I use it and Heavens Above.

CO19

Calibos wrote: »

Look at the object with the Bino's. Note the orientation of the T. Now tilt your neck to the right. If the T stays orientated the same with respect to your field of view (ie the T is rotating clockwise as you tilt the Binos right)then its Jupiter and the T shape is caused by your optics being out of alignment. If the T rotates anticlockwise to the left with respect to the FOV then the object is indeed shaped like a T and I have no idea what it could be.

100% sure its Jupiter though.

I tried this and it is Jupiter .

What strength lens would I need for a telescope to see Jupiter and Saturn clearly ?