The Moon and Earth from space

[n2doc]

This Is What the Moon Looks Like From Space
Credit: NASA, Posted on: Thursday, 11 August 2011, 06:37 CDT Download full size image

On Sunday, July 31, 2011, when Expedition 28 astronaut Ron Garan aboard the International Space Station looked out his window, this is what he saw: the moon. And, he saw it 16 times. Said Garan, "We had simultaneous sunsets and moonsets." For Garan and the rest of the station crew, this extraordinary event is a daily occurrence. Since the station orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, each day the crew experiences this about 16 times a day.

http://www.redorbit.com/images/images-of-the-day/universe/

[LaurenG]

1. What an awesome picture! The angle of the horizon makes it look as if the photo

was taken from earth. I wonder how far from earth they are orbiting? I should go look that up. :hi:

[LaurenG]

2. It's closer than I thought.

The Station is brighter sometimes than others, depending on its illumination and distance from us. It has a maximum brightness of -3.0 when it's fully lit and nearest (about 230 miles, i.e., 370 kilometers) to Earth. That's a little brighter than Jupiter (-2.5). When the Station is only halfway lit and 620 miles (1,000 km) distant, it's brightness is only +1.5—about as bright as a dim Mars.

The Station's celestial path is an oval-shaped path—an elliptical orbit, which varies from 218 miles (351 km) to 221 miles (356 km) from Earth. Going about 17,200 miles per hour, the Station circles Earth 16 times a day at an inclination (a measure of the tilt of the ISS' orbital plane) of 51.6 degrees to the equator. The Station eventually crosses almost every point on Earth: flying over 85% of the globe and 95% of its population.


http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/aprilholladay/2005-07-29-space-station_x.htm

[krispos42]

3. Nice.... n/t