Has anyone stationed on the ISS for some months reported noticing the changing seasons on Earth in any way like people on the surface do, subconsciously without needing to look up numbers for anything? Changing weather patterns, changing daylight hours in each hemisphere, how far north or south sunlight reaches?
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asked Dec 27, 2020 at 22:57
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Yes, they do. For example, they recognize and deliberately aim a hand-held camera at familiar features such as the Great Lakes and the Grand Canyon, sometimes with unmistakeable snow, which reminds them that it's winter in the Northern hemisphere.
answered Nov 8 at 17:24
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3$\begingroup$ without the "reporting" requirement, I believe the WorldMap utility on the Space Station Computers (SSC laptops) should make it pretty clear which hemisphere is in which so lstice by showing day/night regions that include the poles. Less reliable near equinox obvs $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 8 at 22:13
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$\begingroup$ They will actually see different parts of the Earth in daylight based on the seasons. E.g. the ISS orbit inclination is 51 degrees. So at one point they will be at their northernmost point in orbit during sunlight, but 6 months later it will be at night. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 16:05
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1$\begingroup$ That's not quite true; the ISS's orbit precesses around a few times a year, so the cycle is much faster. $\endgroup$– LostXORCommented Nov 11 at 3:03