Skywatching Tips: Spot NASA Solar Sail In Night Sky | How To Spot Satellites, Solar Sail | NanoSail-D & Skywatching Guide
CREDIT: Arto Oksanen
NASA's first solar sail to circle Earth in low orbit is making regular evening passes over much of the United States and Canada over the next week, and may be visible to skywatchers if conditions are clear.
The solar sail satellite, called NanoSail-D, is making promising passes over the 48 contiguous U.S. states and southern Canada through Monday, March 7.
NASA launched NanoSail-D in November and the satellitesuccessfully deployed its 100-square-foot polymer sail in low-Earth orbit on Jan. 20 after weeks of delay. NASA officials expect the solar sail to stay in low-Earth orbit until at least April 1 – possibly through mid-May – depending on atmospheric conditions. [Photos: Spotting Spaceships and Satellites] [...]
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Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York.
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