Quote:
Originally Posted by Buzzard
Yup...that could very well have been the space station.
I'd like someone to explain the vanishing part though. Like I say...it went from quite bright, dimming in 5 or so seconds, to nothing...just like that. That was the weird part of what I saw. If not for that, I'd say no doubt it was the space station, or a bright satellite, etc.
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Bear in mind that the ISS does not emit it's own light but is reflecting sunlight. Think of it as a giant mirror passing over head. As it approaches the horizon, your viewing angle to it becomes increasingly oblique and the reflective surface becomes smaller and smaller in relation to you. It will dim and then just disappear. I've witnessed the ISS several times and it does exactly what you've described. There's going to be a fairly bright ISS pass over Calgary tomorrow traveling from the W to ESE beginning at 5:23 and lasting for over 5 minutes. If you have a chance, go out and have a look if the skies are clear. There will be a 2nd, less bright pass, from WSW to SSW beginning at 6:59 and lasting only a minute or so.