Starship Asterisk*

Space Stations in Low Earth Orbit

Explanation: On January 3, two space stations already illuminated by sunlight in low Earth orbit crossed this dark predawn sky. Moving west to east (left to right) across the composited timelapse image China's Tiangong Space Station traced the upper trail captured more than an hour before the local sunrise. Seen against a starry background Tiangong passes just below the inverted Big Dipper asterism of Ursa Major near the peak of its bright arc, and above north pole star Polaris. But less than five minutes before, the International Space Station had traced its own sunlit streak across the dark sky. Its trail begins just above the W-shape outlined by the bright stars of Cassiopeia near the northern horizon. The dramatic foreground spans an abandoned mine at Achada do Gamo in southeastern Portugal.

<< Previous APOD

This Day in APOD

Next APOD >>

The Chinese Space Station; Is it treat to national
security?

orin stepanek wrote: ↑Sat Jan 07, 2023 2:41 pm Chinese_Tiangong_Space_Station.jpg
The Chinese Space Station; Is it treat to national
security?

Is it a treat? Sure is. I presume though you meant a threat. Not likely. China is one of 100 countries or so that have signed the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. It states that all space exploration should be undertaken as a peaceful scientific endeavor and that every astronaut out in space should act as a representative of every nation on Earth.

I was fooled for a minute into thinking the Big Dipper was somewhere other than where it was. Specifically, I at first thought it was the middle asterism in the image below!:


But that's obviously the Little Dipper!

A lot can change in over half a century.

De58te wrote: ↑Sat Jan 07, 2023 4:40 pm

orin stepanek wrote: ↑Sat Jan 07, 2023 2:41 pm Chinese_Tiangong_Space_Station.jpg
The Chinese Space Station; Is it treat to national
security?

Is it a treat? Sure is. I presume though you meant a threat. Not likely. China is one of 100 countries or so that have signed the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. It states that all space exploration should be undertaken as a peaceful scientific endeavor and that every astronaut out in space should act as a representative of every nation on Earth.

Thanks; I depend on Spell check too often!