ISS mess

One of the best things about being a Dad is being able to tell your offspring amazing things.
Often, these things aren’t actually true and even if they are, parental licence allows for a huge degree of exaggeration.
I follow @twisst14, one of the twisst.nl bots on twitter, who helpfully tell me (to the nearest second) what time the International Space Station is coming over Cape Town. They can do it for wherever you’re based as well.
Forearmed with this information, I can confidently predict exactly when Alex is going to see a “shooting star” going across the sky.
The fact that I am always right fills him with amazement – a totally different reaction from that of his mother when I tell her that I’m always right.

Tonight’s ISS pass was very bright, but then so was the sky behind it and the long exposure on my camera was sadly affected by the blustery south-easter. Then Alex went a bit mad on Picasa and we ended up with the picture above. Bit retro and kinda funky, but not as sharp as the last time I snapped the ISS over Constantiaberg – so I’m calling it “ISS mess”.

Twisst tells me that I have another opportunity to spot the ISS again this evening at 21:02:58 and – judging by the snoring coming from Alex’s room – this time I’ll be watching it on my own.

UPDATE: Looked a lot better the following evening.

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