No, I do not like the idea of polluting space with our debris. But this is kind of incredible. And this next week North America is favored with a show. My European readers should note this week they are favored for night-time viewing.
A 1,400 piece of space junk (Early Ammonia Servicer) was jettisoned by the International Space Station in July 2007. It is descending through the atmosphere, and is now becoming quite a sky show with just the naked eye. The debris is about the brightness of the Big Dipper, and of course it only gets brighter as the orbit decays.
The EAS is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrate near the end of 2008 or early 2009. Until then, you can see it, growing brighter as it descends, with your own eyes. Check out the Simple Satellite Tracker to find out when to look.
VIDEO BONUS: On July 15, 2008, Kevin Fetter used a low-light video camera to photograph the EAS orbiting over his home in Brockville, Ontario: Movie “The bright star in the video is Altair,” he says. “It was nice to see the EAS still hanging on.”
Technorati Tags: NASA, Space, InternationalSpaceStation
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