A week and a half ago I was watching the 6 O'clock News. The weather man announced that the International Space Station would be passing over around 9pm that night. "Look for a white light moving northwest to northeast." Ok. I'll keep it in mind. I like to see stuff like that. Made salads for supper. Did the dishes. Decided to go the gym.
I was riding the bike, reading as usual, when I remember what I'd heard. Glanced at the clock on the wall. 8:55. Plenty of time. Curious I decided to check it out. Left my book and towel on the seat and walked outside. The sky was absolutely cloudless. Dry air. Clear as could be. The most beautiful dark sapphire blue color. Perfect for station gazing.
I made my way to the center of the big parking lot trying to put myself in-between the tall light posts where I would have the best vantage point. Still wasn't real dark but it would have to do. Better with my hands up shielding my eyes. Started looking up and to my left. I had no idea if the 'bright, white light' would be low, close to the horizon line or high above me or even somewhere in the middle.
There! Oh, my gosh! It was white and it was bright and it was coming right at me at a decent clip from my left side. The station was easy to spot and it was alot bigger than I expected. In fact it was much larger than some airplanes you spot flying at higher altitudes. I found myself walking straight ahead on a 90 degree intercept to its movement so this incredible wonder of modern science would float right over my head.
Felt like good karma or something. I watched it continue on until the light faded, then disappeared. Just me. All alone with the space station. In a parking lot. Feeling very, very cool.
1 comment:
Don’t feel alone I saw it two. However I have a great advantage we live way out where the sky is so dark you can see everything in the sky. We have a hot tub on the back deck and that is where I do all my star gazing. Most of the times they want you to check the sky out at 4am and we have cloudy skies but like you side the sky was clear.
I have to tell you two times I have used my star gazing with others but I was very much here by my self. My oldest son’s freshmen year in Collage he when to Capital so he was not too far. However I have to tell you first when they were little we would get blankets and go out in the back yard and look for the comments in the sky when it was reported their would be an event. So now by myself both my boys were away I went out to see the comments wow I saw one and then another and another wow I just had to share this with someone it was so GREAT the best show I have ever seen. Well Lonnie was in bed and would not be amused if I came running in at 2 am to get him up to see this with me it was always something I did with my boys……SO, I called Brian he was a collage boy he was probably still awake. Much to my surprise he answered……I said you have to see the comments in the sky go out side hurry. He did. I have to tell you I sat on the grown and with the phone to my ear we both oowed and ahhhed with each shouting star…..how net it was to see and share this with someone miles away he saw the samething I saw at the same time. I will never forget it….
I did the same thing with a girl friend years before she had moved to Alabama. We were both talking to each other one night when she said do you see the Hal bop (sp?) commit in the sky I look out and said yes I do…..that was pretty neat again that we both could look into the sky and see the same thing. we were states away from each other……well you said please leave a comment but I think I went a little long….I hope you enjoyed my stories. Chris Anderson Alonso
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