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Part of the ISS and Earth photographed from the spacecraft. AP Photo/NASA

Space station visible in Irish skies tonight

The ISS has been constantly manned for the past ten years and is about the same size as Croke Park.

SO LONG AS THE clouds stay away tonight, there’s a good chance you can watch the International Space Station as it passes over Ireland.

At roughly the size of Croke Park, the ISS is the largest-ever spacecraft sent into orbit and it circles the planet at about 350km above the Earth’s surface.

Astronomy Ireland chairman David Moore says that the ISS will be the brightest object in the night sky and should be visible in the southern sky at 10.34pm tonight. The spacecraft will travel over Ireland until 24 April.

For the past ten years, the ISS has been constantly manned. Its crew is repeatedly being replaced with cycles of new members; the departing and arriving teams overlap on board for a period between changeovers.

Half of those on board right now arrived at the ISS in mid-November and are due to return to Earth later this month, landing on 27 April. The three other astronauts joined them in December, and they will return home on 1 July.

Russia’s Soyuz rockets have been relied on as the main transport link between Earth and the ISS for both personnel and supplies following the end of NASA’s space shuttle programme last summer.

The six people on board the ISS are supported by around 100,000 people on the ground and 16 countries have been involved in the project.

There is a reinforced section on board the ISS for the crew to huddle in for safety during solar storms or if the ISS is passing through space debris.

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17 Comments
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    Mute Mark Dennehy
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    Apr 16th 2012, 12:31 PM

    For anyone with an android phone, the HeavensAbove app will give an alert when it’s visible…

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    Mute Fiona McKillop
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    Apr 16th 2012, 12:39 PM

    ahem mister… you shouldn’t have time to be looking at space stations…. you should be looking after my godson!! ;-)
    I’m now off to get the HeavensAbove app…

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    Mute Mark Dennehy
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    Apr 16th 2012, 12:48 PM

    Who do you think I’m pointing it out to? :D

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    Mute Mike Johnston
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    Apr 16th 2012, 1:45 PM

    Is there an app for the iPhone !?

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    Mute Mark Dennehy
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    Apr 16th 2012, 2:06 PM

    There’s a few; Satellite Visibility gets its data from the Heavens Above website for example.

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    Mute Dave Spart
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    Apr 16th 2012, 8:01 PM

    Basically, the ISS is nothing more than a tool of the American military-industrial complex to spy on the oppressed masses. I don’t think it is any coincidence that it is flying over Ireland at a time when the proletariat are in revolt against the household charge and the proposed water charge. What kind of information is being gathered? The cameras on that spaceship can pick out the barcode details on a box of matches and it almost certainly has high powered microphones as well so I have advised the members of my union, the National Union of Stationery Council Workers, to say nothing to nobody while it is overhead. Others would be well advised to do likewise,

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    Mute Sean Doyle
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    Apr 16th 2012, 8:14 PM

    Can I borrow some tinfoil?

    10
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    Mute Stephen Long
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    Apr 16th 2012, 1:23 PM

    Seen it last night. It was way to fast for me to get the telescope on it though :(
    Going to try again tonight :)

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    Mute sluazcanal
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    Apr 16th 2012, 1:59 PM

    What time last night did you see it? i saw something around 11 oclock and didnt know what it was, do you reckon it was this?

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    Mute Stephen Long
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    Apr 16th 2012, 2:05 PM

    Started rising about 9:30 and was gone about 1.40 mins later. Its moves VERY quick. Yes it was definitely the ISS. Hopefully have more luck tonight

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    Mute Aranthos Faroth
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    Apr 16th 2012, 2:48 PM

    The ISS is so damn cool!!
    Feck I’m such a geek….

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    Mute Michael McTague
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    Apr 16th 2012, 8:45 PM

    The ISS Is the size of a football pitch and not An 80,000 seat stadium which would be considerably bigger !

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    Mute Glenn Casey
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    Apr 16th 2012, 1:52 PM

    Saw it Saturday night over Cork harbour – perfect night to view it (unlike tonight by the looks of things – back to normal Irish clouds and rain!)

    The Android app is now called SatTrack another one that’s great is Satellite AR where you can see all kinds of stuff orbiting above us in realtime

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    Mute jim redmond
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    Apr 16th 2012, 5:43 PM

    Saw an amazing 3D IMAX film on the space centre last week in the Kennedy space centre. Shall be looking out for it tonight!

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    Mute Rossa O Connor
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    Apr 16th 2012, 7:22 PM

    Not with the rain falling here we won’t :-(

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    Mute freakystare
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    Apr 16th 2012, 2:08 PM

    Streaks across the sky. Looks like a white elephant.

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    Mute Travors
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    Apr 16th 2012, 1:55 PM

    Saw this last night too. Was wondering what it was, it moves quite fast.

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