ISS TXT SERVICE

€0.02

:shock:
Rip off!!


Saturn,
I don't see predictions for ISS on HA tonight.
Have you tried another satellite prediction site?

Dont know any other ones frank.....you sound like you do? ya let me know the link if ya do thanks

Saturn,

Try www.calsky.com/cs.cgi/Satellites/4 ?

It appears to list all passes of the ISS even during the day too though so I'm not sure how useful it is as a whole. I tend to use Heavens Above myself so I also can't say how accurate the CalSky predictions are. It's something I keep meaning to test.

One of these days!

Dwane.

Edit: Also I notice when you click on that link for the first time the site appears to assign you a location which may not be where you really are, so be aware of that. There's a box at the right of the page where you can change it.

Folks - David Moore wrote me an email asking to post some clarifications here - so I've pasted it here in its its entirety.

Two points

1. I hope this clears up things for those receiving or wanting to receive the AI texts and what the proceeds are for

2. I've pasted a summary of the information I received about the 2010 eclipse (from Terry Mosely's superb digest) just for completeness.

Cheers
Dave


Hi Dave,

A member sent me the following link
www.irishastronomy.org/boards/viewtopic.php?p=63566#63566
so I thought you might be good enough to clarify the following on that site as I have no way of posting there:

1. ISS's last pass was Feb 17. We are not sending out any TEXTs until the next set of passes in late March.

2. The TEXT service is for those who need or want a reminder service. It's only a euro (including VAT) and any proceeds get used to help us promote interest in astronomy. As you say, there are several websites that issue predictions these days but not everyone has access to the net, and some people still want reminders sent to their mobiles. We surveyed thousands of people about whether this service was needed, and the amount to charge, and 1euro was the average, some would have been happy to pay more they said.

3. The eclipse: this is an interesting one. I've been ill recently and meant to comment on Terry's statements about it also. To clarify: I am saying this is the last good Total Lunar Eclipse we will see from Ireland.

When I did my calculations for the 2010 eclipse I saw it was happening in strong twilight. The Sun is only 2 degrees below the horizon at mid eclipse from Dublin - I doubt the Totally Eclipsed Moon will be visible to the naked eye under such circumstances, though the early part of the eclipse will not be so badly affected by the twilight and low altitude. Still, it will hardly be a patch on the 2008 eclipse.

So the 2010 eclipse hardly compares with this year's. I should always be saying "last good eclipse" or "last eclipse this good" that we will see for 8 years. My apologies if the word "good" slipped out, if that explains the confusion? I think we can all agree, weather permitting, that no one will see an eclipse as good as Thursday morning's (Feb 21) from Ireland until at least 2016.

It may also be of interest to note that the next 'evening' Total Lunar Eclipse is not until New Year's Even 2028 and even then that eclipse is low down in the sky to start.

Best wishes
David Moore BSc FRAS,
Chairman,
Astronomy Ireland.
info@astronomy.ie
www.astronomy.ie
(01) 847 0777




The maximum phase of the TLE of 21 December, 2010, will be visible throughout Ireland. The following table gives the altitude of the Moon in degrees for major cities across Ireland for the start of the total phase, and for mid-totality, i.e. maximum eclipse:
TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE, 21/12/2010
CITY START TOT. MID TOT.
Belfast 7.8 3.6
Derry/L'derry 8.6 4.4
Dublin 7.3 3.0
Cork 7.8 3.2
Galway 8.7 4.2
Limerick 8.2 3.7
Waterford 7.2 2.8
Thus even for Waterford, the least favoured of those locations, the Moon will be more than 5 lunar diameters above the horizon at maximum eclipse. And in Derry/Londonderry, ALL of the total phase is visible.

ts actually just on my phone since i signed up for it which was ages ago so usually anytime the ISS is passing over you would get the txts and then it would stop when you couldnt see it......now the heavens above is saying it aint visible but yet im getting txts saying it is from Astronomy Ire

Saturn, As far as I know Heavens above only consider a pass visible if it attains an altitude of at least 10 degrees in a dark sky. Hence the early appearance of the ISS if you have a clear view and (presumably) AI's "technically correct" predictions.

Thanks for the clarification Dave. I always use HA for ISS but I would love to be able to remind all the thousands who were polled about the price that the free site as posted by Frank is

www.heavens-above.com/

and its a hell of a lot more reliable since you can input your local area and not Dublin. My nearest recognised site is 3 miles away which is a small drive through village.

Kieran Rooney BSc, OUCert Ast & Plan Sc, BOHS P401-405