A reader from Stockport recently reported observing the International Space Station (ISS) setting in the western sky. However, the ISS is known to travel from west to east in its orbit around the Earth. This apparent discrepancy suggests that the observer may have misinterpreted the direction of the station’s movement. The ISS orbits the planet at approximately 28,000 kilometers per hour, completing a full circuit roughly every 90 minutes, consistently moving eastward due to the rotational direction of the Earth and orbital mechanics.
Science
Wrong orbit
A reader from Stockport reported seeing the International Space Station moving westward in the sky, which contradicts the known eastward orbit of the ISS. This suggests the observer likely misjudged the direction, as the station consistently travels east around Earth at high speed, completing an orbit roughly every 90 minutes.
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