Timeline for Why does the International Space Station have a downward facing light?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
4 events
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| Oct 15, 2014 at 13:26 | comment | added | TildalWave | There's one problem with what you suggest (that the existing photographs of the station from the ground fairly represent what parts of it reflect the most light). Namely that there's an intrinsic problem to taking stills / video of a brightly lit distant object with optical equipment due to atmospheric diffraction. When the station would be fully lit (or close to it) it would simply be impossible to get much detail of it from ground. So what photos of it you see online taken from the ground are mostly when it reflects less light and not the best representative of what we see with a naked eye. | |
| Oct 14, 2014 at 17:28 | comment | added | TildalWave | For ISS apparent magnitude best I could find is from Heavens Above: Intrinsic brightness (Magnitude) -1.3 (at 1000 km distance, 50% illuminated), Maximum brightness (Magnitude) -5.1 (at perigee, 100% illuminated). My own rule of a thumb is that it's about as bright as Venus (max –4.89) when "riding the day/night terminator" and about as bright as Mars (max –2.91) otherwise. Both of which also vary in time, that's why it's at least as correct as a clock that doesn't work - two times a day it's spot on. :) | |
| Oct 14, 2014 at 17:21 | comment | added | kim holder | It would be nice to have a good measure of apparent magnitude of the ISS on one of these passes and use it to calculate how much light was being reflected towards the observer - if i could figure out how to do that. | |
| Oct 14, 2014 at 17:12 | history | answered | kim holder | CC BY-SA 3.0 |