Around the summer solstice, watch the International Space Station fly into the night sky

Poster production: Feng Juan On the 21st, the summer solstice. Astronomical science experts reminded that around the summer solstice, the International Space Station (ISS) ushered in good observation opportunities. It would frequently stroll the night sky and compete for the “C position” with the stars in the night sky. By then, if the weather is fine, the public in northern my country can appreciate this rare heavenly “marathon” with naked eyes. Beijing astronomy enthusiast Zong Haiyang took a close-up photo of the ISS in Beijing in February 2018. (Photo provided by me) ISS is currently the largest space platform operating in orbit. It is a space laboratory with modern scientific research equipment that can carry out large-scale, multidisciplinary basic and applied scientific research. The scale of the ISS is close to a standard football stadium, which was jointly constructed by 16 countries including the United States, Russia, Canada, and Japan, and it took 12 years to complete the construction. Guangxi astronomy enthusiast Wang Jin took a photo of the ISS transit trajectory taken at Heishantou, Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, May 15, 2021 (Photo provided by me) Shi Zhicheng, a member of the Chinese Astronomical Society and director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society, said that at night before and after the summer solstice, for mid-latitudes in the northern hemisphere, the sun can shine on the solar panels of the ISS at a position not too low below the horizon to form a reflection, so It looks like a moving “bright star”. A close-up photo of the ISS taken by Beijing astronomy enthusiast Zong Haiyang in Beijing in April 2020. (Photo provided by me) Under ideal conditions, it is possible for the public to witness the ISS flying over China more than 5 times in one night. Tianjin astronomy enthusiast Wang Shuo took a photo of the ISS transit trajectory in Tianjin on May 30, 2021. (Photo provided by me) Astronomical science experts said that ISS transits through my country almost every month, but due to factors such as weather conditions, space station transit orbits, geographic location, urban light pollution and other factors, most of the time the observation conditions are fairly normal. The period when the comprehensive observation conditions are relatively good around the summer solstice is very rare throughout the year. Interested members of the public can try to see the ISS style. Beijing astronomy enthusiast Wang Junfeng took a photo of the ISS flying over the moon halo in Honghe, Yunnan on December 22, 2019. (Photo provided by me) Beijing astronomy enthusiast Wang Junfeng suggested that interested members of the public can use small programs such as “Tenron” or professional apps to view information about the transit time, azimuth, and brightness of the ISS at their location. Wang Junfeng said that the average ISS transit time is 3 to 5 minutes. When the weather is fine, it is easy to see a bright “star” quickly across the night sky. Astronomy enthusiasts in certain areas can also see the ISS quickly passing over the surface of the moon. This phenomenon is called “transiting moon.” Beijing astronomy enthusiast Zheng Zhi took a photo of the ISS “Lingyue” in Beijing on March 25, 2018 (multiple superimposed). (Photo provided by me) Under more severe conditions, through professional observation equipment, you can even see the ISS quickly passing by the surface of the sun during the day. This phenomenon is called “transit”. Beijing astronomy enthusiast Sun Si took a photo of the ISS “transit of the sun” in Beijing on April 7, 2019 (multiple superimposed). (Photo provided by me) Tianjin astronomy enthusiast Wang Shuo took a photo of the ISS “transit of the sun” in Tianjin on May 29, 2021 (multiple superimposed). (Photo provided by me) “ISS’transit of the sun’ and’transit of the moon’ are more difficult to observe and photograph, especially the’transit’. Because the sun is extremely bright and the time is very short, you must not use the naked eye to observe directly, and you need to be equipped with special equipment.” Wang Junfeng Say. ISS Micro Record. (Video content provided by Wang Junfeng, an astronomy enthusiast in Beijing) Although China did not participate in the ISS project, the first launch vehicle of the Chinese space station mission, the Tianhe core module, was successfully launched on April 29 this year. The China Space Station has three cabins: Tianhe Core Module, Wentian Experimental Module, and Mengtian Experimental Module as the basic configuration. At 11:23 on April 29, 2021, the Tianhe core module was launched at my country’s Wenchang Space Launch Site and entered the scheduled orbit accurately. The mission was a success. (Issued by Xinhua News Agency) After the successful launch of the three-cabin vehicles of the China Space Station, they will be in orbit through rendezvous, docking and transposition to form a “T” configuration combination, which will operate in orbit for a long time. The successful autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking of the Shenzhou 12 manned spacecraft and the Tianhe core module taken at the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center on June 17, 2021. (Issued by Xinhua News Agency) Tianjin astronomy enthusiast Wang Shuo took a photo of the transit trajectory of the Tianhe core module in Tianjin on May 1, 2021. (Photo provided by me) Source: Xinhua Viewpoint