<div>As dusk fell over Bengaluru on Thursday, the International Space Station (ISS) appeared as a speck on the horizon. <br /><br />But as the city’s skywatchers scrambled to get their telescopes, the ISS was out in a flash.In barely two minutes, the bright spot had traversed the entire night sky and disappeared.<br /><br />For Bengalureans hooked to websites and mobile apps tracking the ISS, it was a lucky sighting though. They knew exactly where it was at 6.45 pm, when the station crossed into Indian territory and moved over parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. <br /><br />On November 2, ISS had passed a major milestone in its long innings in space: that day, it completed 16 years of humans living and working continuously aboard the station. <br /><br />Launched in 1998<br /><br />Although the first module of ISS was launched into space in 1998, human occupation of the space station began only two years later. <br /><br />Serving as a port for international spacecraft and an orbiting laboratory, ISS is jointly operated by the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan. <br /><br />The space station’s orbit is at about 350 km above the Earth, travelling at an average speed of 27,724 kmph. ISS makes multiple orbits around the Earth daily.<br /><br />So, how frequently does ISS pass over Karnataka or India? Frequency may be high, but the station can be visible only if the timing is perfect: Just before dawn or right after sunset. <br /><br />Here’s an explanation provided by the NASA website, (spotthestation.nasa.gov): “The space station is visible because it reflects the light of the Sun – the same reason we can see the Moon. <br /><br />However, unlike the Moon, the space station is not bright enough to see during the day. It can only be seen when it is dawn or dusk at your location.”<br /><br />Tracking ISS 24/7 to check when exactly the space station passes over a particular location on earth may be tough. But NASA’s ‘Spot the Station’ programme lets skywatchers sign up to receive alerts about the visibility time anywhere in the world. <br /> <br />Using a map-based feature, skywatchers could type a location directly into a search box, zoom, pan and search the map. Blue pins populate the map, identifying the best sighting opportunities for each location within a 80-km radius around each pin. <br /></div>
<div>As dusk fell over Bengaluru on Thursday, the International Space Station (ISS) appeared as a speck on the horizon. <br /><br />But as the city’s skywatchers scrambled to get their telescopes, the ISS was out in a flash.In barely two minutes, the bright spot had traversed the entire night sky and disappeared.<br /><br />For Bengalureans hooked to websites and mobile apps tracking the ISS, it was a lucky sighting though. They knew exactly where it was at 6.45 pm, when the station crossed into Indian territory and moved over parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. <br /><br />On November 2, ISS had passed a major milestone in its long innings in space: that day, it completed 16 years of humans living and working continuously aboard the station. <br /><br />Launched in 1998<br /><br />Although the first module of ISS was launched into space in 1998, human occupation of the space station began only two years later. <br /><br />Serving as a port for international spacecraft and an orbiting laboratory, ISS is jointly operated by the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan. <br /><br />The space station’s orbit is at about 350 km above the Earth, travelling at an average speed of 27,724 kmph. ISS makes multiple orbits around the Earth daily.<br /><br />So, how frequently does ISS pass over Karnataka or India? Frequency may be high, but the station can be visible only if the timing is perfect: Just before dawn or right after sunset. <br /><br />Here’s an explanation provided by the NASA website, (spotthestation.nasa.gov): “The space station is visible because it reflects the light of the Sun – the same reason we can see the Moon. <br /><br />However, unlike the Moon, the space station is not bright enough to see during the day. It can only be seen when it is dawn or dusk at your location.”<br /><br />Tracking ISS 24/7 to check when exactly the space station passes over a particular location on earth may be tough. But NASA’s ‘Spot the Station’ programme lets skywatchers sign up to receive alerts about the visibility time anywhere in the world. <br /> <br />Using a map-based feature, skywatchers could type a location directly into a search box, zoom, pan and search the map. Blue pins populate the map, identifying the best sighting opportunities for each location within a 80-km radius around each pin. <br /></div>
