See the space station tonight

There is an excellent pass of the International Space Station tonight visible from the Los Angeles area. The station will first be visible low in the northwest (to the right of where the sun set) at about 8:44 p.m. By 8:46 it will reach its maximum visible altitude of 58 degrees, and will fly past Mars, Saturn, and the first quarter moon, in that order. By 8:50 it will disappear in the southeast entering earth's shadow. The station is so bright now with its added modules and solar arrays, it will be the brightest thing in the sky besides the moon. Space shuttle Discovery is currently docked to the station, and it's fun to keep in mind that there are ten astronauts on that bright moving star as it passes overhead. For predictions based on your own location, visit http://www.heavens-above.com The station has no lighting of its own. The brightness is sunlight reflected off the station. If you're following an object with red or blinking lights, that's not the space station. Cheers, Mojo -- Morris Jones http://www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers http://www.otastro.org http://twitter.com/mojo_la