The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the independent US agency responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research, announced that the International Space Station (ISS) will be visible to the naked eye in Nairobi.
“The following ISS sightings are possible from Monday, Sep 7, 2020, through Wednesday, Sep 23, 2020,” reads a part of the statement on the space agency’s website.
NASA went on to detail the specific time at which Kenyans can catch a glimpse of the spacecraft over the next 6 days.
Several Kenyans announced their excitement over the news including Wildlife Direct CEO Paula Kahumbu, “Get your binoculars and telescopes out tonight,” she tweeted.
The habitable artificial satellite has been in low Earth orbit for over 20 years since the launch of its first component in 1998.
The first long-term residents on the ISS arrived in November 2000, and it has been inhabited continuously ever since.
According to NASA, the crew living and working on the ISS orbit our planet from approximately 402km above every 90 minutes.
This means the crew sees 16 sunrises and sunsets every day.
They use the microgravity and space environment laboratory to research and conduct experiments in biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology, and other fields.
How to View the International Space Station in Kenya
From earth, ISS looks like a fast-moving plane located at a higher altitude and traveling at a much faster rate.
What does all this sighting information mean?
Time is when the sighting opportunity will begin in your local time zone. All sightings will occur within a few hours before or after sunrise or sunset. This is the optimum viewing period as the sun reflects off the space station and contrasts against the darker sky.
Visible is the maximum time period the space station is visible before crossing back below the horizon.
Max Height is measured in degrees (also known as elevation). It represents the height of the space station from the horizon in the night sky. The horizon is at zero degrees, and directly overhead is ninety degrees. If you hold your fist at arm’s length and place your fist resting on the horizon, the top will be about 10 degrees.
Appears is the location in the sky where the station will be visible first. This value, like maximum height, also is measured in degrees from the horizon. The letters represent compass directions – N is north, WNW is West by NorthWest, and so on.
Disappears represents where in the night sky the International Space Station will leave your field of view.
In 2019, Kenyans caught a glimpse of the ISS between March 14 – 24.
