Can Someone Confirm The ISS Orbit Path.

I was outside around 10 minutes ago , 23.55 GMT. I am located in Central England.

A very bright series of white lights ( 4 in total but joined together ) ) just flew very slowly high overhead. At first i thought it was an aircraft, as i live on the flight path into Birmingham Airport.

However the lights where not approaching in the normal flight path direction. In fact after a minute or so of watching these lights, an aircraft flew over at roughly 90 degrees to the lights onto it's approach into the airport.

The lights continued on their same path for a few more minutes and then just faded out. I came inside and checked the ISS Tracker, as this is what i thought it probably was. However The ISS was orbiting south of The U.K. Can someone please confirm i have checked that correctly.

a reply to: alldaylong

Just now 7:20 EST.
It's nowhere near you.

originally posted by: alldaylong
I was outside around 10 minutes ago , 23.55 GMT. I am located in Central England.

A very bright series of white lights ( 4 in total but joined together ) ) just flew very slowly high overhead. At first i thought it was an aircraft, as i live on the flight path into Birmingham Airport.

However the lights where not approaching in the normal flight path direction. In fact after a minute or so of watching these lights, an aircraft flew over at roughly 90 degrees to the lights onto it's approach into the airport.

The lights continued on their same path for a few more minutes and then just faded out. I came inside and checked the ISS Tracker, as this is what i thought it probably was. However The ISS was orbiting south of The U.K. Can someone please confirm i have checked that correctly.

ISS did fly past around 20 minutes ago, usual path is from a Westerly direction to Easterly...however visually it is a very bright light rather than lights

a reply to: alldaylong

Here's the sighting opportunities for your area.
spotthestation.nasa.gov...

Flypast on Sat Jul 28, 11:50 PM.

a reply to: gortex

Thank's Gortex.

Time and location are more or less spot on for The ISS.

Boy watching the ISS for the last 20 mins, boy does it cover a lot of sky in a short time. Glad to see Gortex and Smurfy are on top of it.

I always recommend having flightradar24.com handy.

If you see something in the sky, check it.

a reply to: Bigburgh

Boy watching the ISS for the last 20 mins,

It takes the ISS about 10 minutes to go from horizon to horizon. Whatever you were watching, that wasn't it.

a reply to: Phage

Great insight, as always Phage.

I concur with your point. It is most likely, something completely normal though. Regardless of whether it is or is not the ISS.

You can also use wolframalpha.com and ask it for the position of ISS or any other satellite for any date/time in 'UTC' ['GMT'].

a reply to: alldaylong


Download Calsky and Stellarium.

I use call sky to find out when the ISS will fly over or can be seen from my location and then can cofirm and see an animation real time or fast forward of that crossing.

Here is a quck screen capture for tomorrow night just around 10.00pm for my location shown on Stellarium.

Right click on image to see larger version.



ISS has the track and blue box round it you can see a host of other satellites but most would require binoculars a telescope or a timelapse video to show them.