I have updated and fixed the files for tracking satellites and the ISS on Google Earth. You are no longer offered driving directions to the satellites either.
Satellite Tracking Google Earth Files Update
4 Responses to “Satellite Tracking Google Earth Files Update”
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Hi Rob,
I live on the south shore of Long Island facing the Atlantic to the south. I am trying to locate the ISS by using Google Earth. When I see it, I know it but I can’t prove to my friends that’s what it is. They try to tell me it’s Venus, which it ain’t.
Can you help?
Cheers,
Michael Safdiah
Sure I can help: in fact I think the answer is simpler than you might think. The ISS moves very quickly over the night sky – the space of just a few minutes. Venus does not detectably move (other than setting slowly, like the Sun and stars).
So if the bright object you can see is moving and is gone in a few minutes, then yes it is the International Space Station. If it stays approximately still then it is likely Venus.
I should say that if it is Venus, try and get a good pair of binoculars or a telescope and look at it. Venus shows phases, like the Moon’s phases, which are quite satisfying to see. Worth noting too, is the fact that Venus is roughly the same size as the Earth – and since you see it as a dot in the sky this gives you an inkling of the scale of the Solar System.
I hope this helps.
It helped, and it also confused me. I thought the ISS was in geosynchronous (sp) orbit, and would be in the same part of the sky all year long. The bright object I see appears almost rectangular, and is the brightest object in the sky. Also, it is not near the horizon.
Thus enlightened, I send you my thanks!
Michael
Michael,
The ISS is in a Low-Earth orbit and is seen in a different part of the sky all the time. In fact some nights you may have a poor pass or two great passes. It crosses the sky in about 3 minutes which is very fast, and has no flashing lights like an airplane would. http://heavens-above.com will give you more orbit information.