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