updated
Saturday, 2:15 PM

From the Metro staff at The Boston Globe

Shuttle, space station to make a celestial flyby over Mass.

March 17, 2009 05:37 PM Email| Comments (30)| Text size – +

(NASA)

A March 2008 photo of the space station. From the earth tonight, it's expected to look like an unusually bright star.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Expect an unusual show in the sky early tonight. The International Space Station, with the space shuttle Discovery docked to it, will appear as a bright star moving through the sky as it hurtles through space over Massachusetts.

With clear skies predicted, the space station and shuttle are expected to rise in the southwest at 7:41 p.m., pass almost straight overhead, and disappear down in the northeast. The whole trip across the sky will take six minutes, so look straight overhead at about 7:44 p.m., said Alan MacRobert, a senior editor at Cambridge-based Sky & Telescope magazine.

"It will look like a star, a really bright star," said MacRobert. "Twilight will be just about over. … This is a beautiful time to spot it."

The objects will be visible with the naked eye. But use a telescope and you may be able to see even more. With only a 50-power telescope, people who are able to track the moving objects should be able to make out the shapes of the space station and attached shuttle. "You can actually see that it's not a point, that it has a structure," MacRobert said.

The celestial flyby will underline for people just how close space is, he said.

"You only have to go up 100 miles or so and you're effectively in space," he said. "If you could drive a car straight up, you could get to outer space driving your car by the time you get from here driving to New York."

The shuttle and its seven astronauts rendezvoused late Tuesday afternoon 220 miles up with the space station, which has three crew members. The shuttle brought a set of solar wings to attach to the station. The shuttle will also drop off equipment for the station's water-recycling system and a fresh crew member.

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30 comments so far...

Godspeed Discovery and International Space Station....is it politically incorrect to say Godspeed these days? If it is then to make sure everybody is happy: Godsspeed, Goddessspeed, and Thereisnogodspeed (that covers polythesists, godess worshippers, and atheists). Crisis averted, thank God...er...I mean thank all of the above.

Posted by T.J Eckelberg March 17, 09 03:30 PM

"If you could drive a car straight up, you could get to outer space driving your car by the time you get from here driving to New York."

So that's why people from New York seem like they're from outer space!

Posted by Boston Bill March 17, 09 03:49 PM

Nice but what a big waste of money, in times like these. I just don't get people anymore.

Posted by Sheila March 17, 09 04:26 PM

Is it possible I saw it this morning?

Posted by Sunrise celebration March 17, 09 04:35 PM

If the space station is only 250 up, and the space shuttle travels at speeds in excess of 500 mph, how come it takes almost 2 days from lift unitl it reaches the space center?

Posted by Tom B March 17, 09 05:19 PM

I'll be watching! My dad would have loved to see this since he was an avid astronomer. Thank you!

Posted by Esther Stratis March 17, 09 06:23 PM

WHEN WILL IT GO OVER 01944

Posted by PAULA COOK March 17, 09 07:03 PM

Cool

Posted by Boston1 March 17, 09 07:33 PM

It was very . . . very . . . cool from here in Easton.

Unbelievably visible and indeed the brightest star in the night sky.

Posted by Harrybosch March 17, 09 07:53 PM

Great view in
northern Maine

Posted by Bouchard March 17, 09 07:53 PM

I just watched it heading north over Dorchester! I couldn't believe how bright it was! Very exciting!!

Posted by d3b0rah March 17, 09 07:53 PM

I saw it! Really cool. Interesting how it appeared out of no where and then disappeared the same way!!

Posted by Jared Castiglione March 17, 09 07:53 PM

Just saw it sail by in central NH. Beautiful.

Posted by George Cashman March 17, 09 07:54 PM

That was pretty cool!

Posted by jd March 17, 09 07:55 PM

that was very cool - what a tiny planet we have.

Posted by mark March 17, 09 07:57 PM

Tom B:
1) they are both traveling in excess of 17,000 mph when in orbit
2) Flight day 2 is always inspections of the thermal protection system/heat shield, implemented since the Columbia accident in 2003
3)The Shuttle slowly increases their velocity in order to catch up to the space station. With two vehicles traveling in excess of 17,000 mph, you cannot just quickly rendezvous with each other. The shuttle is chasing a moving target. It's not as simple as you think.

Posted by JB March 17, 09 08:00 PM

I saw it and it was very rare, beautiful, and BRIGHT!

Posted by Devorah March 17, 09 08:02 PM

We just watched it here in Holbrook MA it was great! My 10 year old daughter really enjoyed seeing it.

Posted by Dawn & Kaylee March 17, 09 08:02 PM

My son and I were looking at the SW of the sky, as directed. Instead of the shuttle (which we eventually saw by chance--white, and it was REALLY quick), we saw a bright yellow dot that was stationary--just above the horizon. Would that have been Mars?

Posted by Derek Rubinoff March 17, 09 08:04 PM

It was great.

Posted by Starman March 17, 09 08:06 PM

It was amazing

Posted by kyle March 17, 09 08:17 PM

at 7:42 i saw a white dense fast moving str moving across the ty of Lowell,MA

Posted by shawn k March 17, 09 10:42 PM

I'm not sure what I saw. In Northern California, the Shuttle was supposed to be WSW at 80 degrees. I saw a bright star more SW, the only light in the sky but it didn't move. Then, at 63 degree as predicted, I saw a pinkish object that definitely was moving! Did I miss the Shuttle but witness the ISS?

Posted by Angie March 17, 09 11:12 PM

Saw the shuttle last night in Worcester at 7:42pm. It passed directly over my house from west southwest to northeast as predicted. I thought it was a plane at first as I live near Worcester Airport, but then I realized it wasn't "flashing" it's lights and was MUCH brighter. It was a pretty amazing six minutes to watch before it just disappeared.

Posted by JonnyC March 18, 09 08:32 AM

Me, my wife and my daughter saw it last night. Silence! For the first time in years I had the experience of being with them in silence! lol Towards the end the only thing we could say was "Wow... That was amazing!". After that the conversation shifted to a different subject. My 8 years old daughter asked me what would happen to us if a big asteroid was coming towards the Earth. (Guess I owe this one to the Discovery Channel!) "Would we be able to see it like we just saw the space station daddy?" More silence... At that moment I had to agree that maybe, just maybe, the international community should rethink a few things in regards to space. Maybe, just maybe, we shouldn't be spending this much money on the on going projects. Mars can wait! As a matter of fact, EVERYTHING else could (and should) wait until we, the people of the planet Earth, have a really effective way of protecting ourselves against colisions with such objects. In 1994 we where able to witness live the impact of about 9 objects against Jupiter. If those objects where coming towards us in 1994 we wouldn't be here today reading this web page. Simple as that.

Posted by Metamorphic Eyes March 18, 09 10:02 AM

Thank you for this information, we got to see it in all its fast, splendid brightness.

Posted by T in Boston March 18, 09 03:45 PM

This all makes me remember that we are all part of this greater universe. Thank all the gods and goddesses of the world for the progress we have made in the heavens--and here on earth too!

Posted by Betsy Harper March 18, 09 08:53 PM

we watched it from atop BARILLA Mill, with Shannon Books

Posted by Josh Lyster March 19, 09 04:15 AM

when will we see it again??

Posted by cindy March 19, 09 08:26 PM

Just saw it in Northern Michigan. What an awesome site. If it goes around the earth every 90 minutes, why is this the first time I've ever seen it?

Posted by Jeff March 22, 09 08:51 PM