Seeing WISE

WISE is now in the Heavens Above orbit database. It will be favorably placed over Los Angeles on the morning of Dec 24, and I will try to observe it. You can get predictions for you own location from Heavens Above and try to spot it. If you try leave a comment describing your observation.

Update: I tried on the mornings of 23 Dec 2009 and 24 Dec 2009 and failed both days. The first day the Sun was not far enough down and a lot of dust had been blown about by the high winds, but for the second conditions were good. WISE must be a lot harder to see than COBE, which makes sense given the configurations of the two satellites.

Update 31 Dec 2009:  I saw WISE this morning, several degrees West of the bowl of the Big Dipper, with binoculars, against a brightening dawn sky at 06:18 Pacific time.  A grand end to the International year of Astronomy.