12 December 2007
On the evening of 3 December 2007, the International Space Station flew over Alexandria, Egypt. The orbiting outpost rivaled the planet Jupiter in brightness. The flight lasted nearly five minutes. As it was drifting in the sky like a slow shooting star, it registered on the image as a bright dash beyond the scattered clouds.
Photo by Aymen Ibrahem, Senior Astronomy Specialist
On the evening of 3 December 2007, the International Space Station (ISS) flew over Alexandria, Egypt. BA Senior Astronomy Specialist, Aymen Ibrahem, observed the event from the BA Plaza, and captured interesting images of the orbiting outpost.
The ISS was as bright as the planet Jupiter at its maximum naked-eye brightness. ISS drifted gracefully beyond the scattered clouds. It resembled a relatively slow shooting star. The flight lasted nearly 5 minutes. The ISS orbits Earth at an average altitude of approximately 400 km. Its average orbital speed is approximately 28,000 km/hr.
The construction of the ISS is scheduled to be completed by 2010. It is a collaborative project between the USA, Russia, Canada, Japan and several European countries.
Further Reading
ISS
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
An Evening Planetary Parade
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Kite to the Moon
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Aymen Mohamed Ibrahem
Senior Astronomy Specialist