Spacewatch: ISS is Christmas evening object

The ISS has returned to Britain's evening sky for the Christmas and new year. Our predictions show it climbing from the W and sometimes disappearing into the Earth's shadow in the directions flagged by asterisks. Russia's Phobos-Grunt Mars spacecraft remains stranded in Earth orbit. Its average height has fallen from 275 to 230 km in the 6 weeks since its launch and I estimate that it will re-enter within a few days of 11 January. The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, expects that the highly toxic fuel on board will burn up on re-entry, though as many as 30 chunks of the craft will survive to reach the ground somewhere between 51.4° N and S of the Equator. ISS from London Day From To Highest Rises ⁄ Dec deg in sets 21 17:02 17:07 24 SE SSW/E* 21 18:37 18:39 33 WSW* WSW/WSW* 22 17:41 17:45 54 SSE SW/ESE* 23 16:45 16:51 37 SSE SW/E 23 18:21 18:24 57 W* W/W* 24 17:25 17:30 74 SSE WSW/E* 25 18:05 18:08 85 N W/NE* 26 17:09 17:14 88 S W/E* 26 18:45 18:47 30 W* W/W* 27 17:48 17:53 88 N W/E* 28 16:52 16:58 86 N W/E* 28 18:28 18:31 49 WSW* W/WSW* ISS from Manchester Day From To Highest Rises/ Dec deg in sets 21 17:03 17:07 17 SE S/ESE 21 18:37 18:39 32 SW* WSW/SW* 22 17:41 17:45 34 SSE SW/ESE* 23 16:46 16:51 24 SSE SSW/E 23 18:21 18:24 53 SSW* WSW/SSW* 24 17:25 17:30 46 SSE WSW/E* 25 18:05 18:08 63 S W/SE* 26 17:08 17:14 56 S WSW/E* 26 17:44 17:47 36 WSW* W/WSW 27 17:48 17:53 63 S W/WSW* 28 16:52 16:58 63 S W/E 28 18:28 18:31 45 SSW* W/SSW*