Orion The Hunter

The Outer Banks is a great spot for gazing at the night sky.  Whether it’s a space shuttle launch, a meteor shower, a lunar eclipse, or just gazing at the bright constellations, the low light pollution and ample room to carve out a secret spot for yourself make the OBX a perfect option lovers of the night sky.

Yesterday we had another opportunity for fun sky gazing event. Not quite as exciting as “buzzing the tower” in Top Gun, but the International Space Station flew up the East Coast under chilly, but otherwise ideal conditions for viewing. The Station, and its crew of six astronauts, rose out of the southwestern sky at 5:59 PM and climbed about halfway above the southeastern horizon as it made its way from the coast of southern Georgia to the Outer Banks. It passed through the constellation Orion around 6:00 PM, just below the bright star Betelgeuse on The Hunter’s right shoulder. From there, the ISS moved below Castor and Pollux, the twins of Gemini. Then it moved off to the northeast, over the Nova Scotia coast before disappearing from our view around 6:05 PM.

It was still dusk, but the ISS was clearly visible, although the light from the setting sun was challenging. The first stars were not visible for another half hour.