The Liverpool Astronomical Society

Well there is no way we can compete with the sky at Galloway, John.  but you are most welcome to come along and visit us at the observatory. I am heading up there in the next hour so if you can make it tonight then I will see you there. It looks like it may be clear too.
Click here for a map;
http://www.liverpoolas.org/content/view/18/37/

I have just looked at the screen shots from Stellarium.They look good but I do not see how much! I can't see if it is freeware, shareware or at cost? I have downloaded it in the mean time and will have a look at it later.
I am just checking to see what time the International Space Station goes over tonight as the shuttle should be launched in the early hours of Saturday morning and  it docks on Sunday. If the sky is clear then we should see them both pass over as the draw closer for the docking.
On Wednesday we managed to track the ISS with the 16 inch Dobsonian telescope (a job in itself) and we could actually see a shape to the ISS. It looked like a letter 'H' on its side. 
I was totally amazed by it.
If you fancy watching it go over tonight you can find the times for Liverpool at 'Heavens Above' website or click here;
http://www.heavens-above.com/main.aspx?Lat=53.4167&lng=-2.8666&loc=Liverpool&TZ=GMT
and just click on ' Satellites  10 day predictions for: ISS'
It is already set for Liverpool and should be accurate enough. What area do you live in?
Also if you click on a date then it will show you a star chart of its path. Let me know how you get on.

The ISS passes over, mag -0.8, at 22:42:36  BST (WSW) and reaches Max. Altitude , 55 degs, at 22:45:29, SSE. It sets at
22:48:15 BST in the east. And the...................................

The Space shuttle rises tonight, mag -2.2,  (WSW) at 22:57:30 BST and reaches an altitude of 44 degs when due south at  22:59:17 BST. It sets at 23:01:08 BST East. Watch for it as it passes under Bootes and Hercules.

You need to get out 5 or 10 mins before in order for you to be ready as can be slightly early or late but only by a minute or so.
If you wait for half an hour you will notice that 3 come at once. 

Full details and star charts available at:
http://www.heavens-above.com/main.aspx?Lat=53.4167&lng=-2.8666&loc=Liverpool&TZ=GMT
Let me know if you see them.
I will try and sort out a list of Jupiter (jovian) events for the website as soon as I get a chance.

I watched the ISS go over, once at 10:45 and just now at 00:16.

I was impressed how bright it was. The first time, the sky was still quite light and the ISS was so bright, at first I thought it was an aeroplane until I saw how fast it was moving.

I only have a pair of 8x24 binos so I couldn't make out anything other than a speck of light but still, very exciting!

I also noticed two stars that were very visible even at the time of the ISS first pass but I couldn't make out enough  other stars to form their constellations. They were quite close to the path of the ISS. Any ideas?

I live in Bromborough on the Wirral, by the way.

Regards

John

We took turns at the eyepiece with someone guiding through the finder and keeping the ISS on the crosshair. 
It was difficult but I suppose with practice.....
Rob Johnson made his first attempt at capturing it with a web cam on the focuser. I will try and put some images on tomorrow evening if I have the time.