When will it be possible to see the integrated structure - shuttle - International Space Station?

Amir Burnett details when recommended transits of the International Space Station can be viewed. * The astronauts in the shuttle began testing the heat shield

As the space shuttle Discovery continues to move toward the International Space Station, members of the STS-116 mission team today performed a comprehensive inspection of the shuttle's heat shield and preparations for docking with the space station. The shuttle began a two-day pursuit of the station. After being launched on Saturday at 20:47 local time (Sunday 03:47 Israel time), it should arrive at the station at 17:05 on Monday (today) or five minutes past midnight between Monday and Tuesday. (Avi Blizovsky)

And in the process, Amir Burnett delivers From the Israeli Astronomical Society Because it will be possible to watch the shuttle and the International Space Station in the sky of Israel:

The space shuttle Discovery took off this morning (Sunday) and is expected to meet with the space station (ISS) tonight (between Monday and Tuesday). After the cancellation of the launch on Friday morning, they feared that this launch would also be canceled due to weather conditions, at the beginning of the countdown there was only a 30% chance of weather that would allow a launch, but surprisingly there was an improvement - and a launch.

The ISS target as well as the space shuttle are quite bright objects, they can be seen with the naked eye from the ground - but only sometimes. When we show that the sun has long since set, the shuttle and the ISS are hundreds of kilometers above our heads, so shortly after sunset the sunlight still reaches them.

The attached information is taken from a website www.heavens-above.com and may change if the orbit of the space station is changed in preparation for the meeting with the shuttle. The transitions may be a minute or two earlier or later, so it is recommended to wait a few moments before and after - and in any case you should go to the website to find out if the transition times have been changed. The times in the tabla are adjusted to Israel time for a viewer located in Be'er Sheva, but not much difference is expected for the rest of the country.

The appearance of the space station is like a bright star moving quite fast, in about 5 minutes you can see it moving from side to side in the sky. Shortly before the shuttle docks and shortly after its departure, lucky viewers will be able to view the shuttle and the space station as two points of light moving in perfect timing, the rest of the time they will be seen as a single but very bright point of light.

Additional transitions equivalent to at least the viability *** of the ISS were not added as it would be difficult to observe them. In any case, just as clouds can interfere with the launch of the space shuttle, they may interfere with viewing it - so it is recommended to take advantage of every opportunity.

On December 13-15 it is highly recommended to watch the evening sky (9 o'clock until the moonrise) because on these days the Geminid shower should reach its peak, one of the most beautiful meteor showers which is characterized by meteors with a reddish color and slow movement, the "falling stars" are small dust particles extremely and do not pose a real risk to the ferry crew members.