Extraterrestrial trash visible with naked eye

Extraterrestrial trash visible with naked eye

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By KVAL Web Staff

International Space Station astronauts threw an obsolete, refrigerator-sized ammonia reservoir overboard in July 2007.  The 1,400 pound piece of space junk has been circling Earth ever since and its orbit has decayed so much that it has become an easy naked-eye target for backyard sky watchers. 

The Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS for short) is almost as bright as the stars of the Big Dipper and growing brighter as it descends. The EAS is expected to burn up in Earth's atmosphere in late 2008 or early 2009. 

You can see the EAS and other items in Earth's orbit with your own eyes.

Check the Simple Satellite Tracker at SpaceWeather.com for flyby times. Look for "EAS" and other items, like the ISS -- the International Space Station -- or Jules Verne, the doomed unmanned spacecraft that will crash into Earth's atmosphere on or around Sept. 29, 2008.

 

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