Spotting the ISS With My Binoculars: A Lucky Moment

[Prof Sabi]

I JUST spotted the ISS with my powerful binoculars,
How luck I am... I was looking at Sirius and just then a streak of non twinkling light passed through, when I ran to desktop to check ISS tracker i saw it was just over India... I feel very lucky to see the greatest project of mankind history :D...

 

[russ_watters]

It is very cool to see, especially when you aren't expecting it. I was BBQing with some friends a month ago and saw it unexpectedly. It wasn't even very dark outside yet. Same thing: checked an app to verify.

I've never put binoculars on it: what did it look like?

 

[Prof Sabi]

Just a light streak moving fast... When I located it, it was just passing below Sirius in the evening eastern sky.. Well I just ran and told everyone In my house bout that

 

[Prof Sabi]

My Binocular is nothing before your telescope in your pic by the way But still I had a great feeling, even I saw it unexpectedly

 

[russ_watters]

[google] Oh; up to about 50 arcsec in diameter, which is big enough that it should have some structure even in binoculars! I need to put some effort into looking at it...

 

[Prof Sabi]

I tried but it was fast... I just got a glimpse

 

[unusually_wrong]

I JUST spotted the ISS with my powerful binoculars,
How luck I am... I was looking at Sirius and just then a streak of non twinkling light passed through, when I ran to desktop to check ISS tracker i saw it was just over India... I feel very lucky to see the greatest project of mankind history :D...

If you have a smart phone, there is a free app called "sky view lite" that is pretty decent. You can locate ISS on there and even Hubble.

 

[Prof Sabi]

Surely I will try the app... Thanks mate :)

 

[Frimus]

Another great free app is ISS Detector.

 

[Andy Resnick]

My Binocular is nothing before your telescope in your pic by the way But still I had a great feeling, even I saw it unexpectedly

[google] Oh; up to about 50 arcsec in diameter, which is big enough that it should have some structure even in binoculars! I need to put some effort into looking at it...

It looks like this when passing overhead (through an 800mm lens):

 

[Prof Sabi]

The best part is that, humans are there... A sense of peaceful world. I always saw ISS on youtube with Suni Williams as a guide, fidget spinners up in space but looking it directly gives a great feeling