![]() (In the example above, N stands for north.) Now Go Out and Find the International Space Station!įeeling confident yet? Don’t worry, you’ve got this!Īs you look up, you’ll be looking for an object that appears like a fast-moving plane in the night sky. The letters represent compass directions. (In the example above, WSW stands for west by southwest.)ĭisappears: Measured in degrees from the horizon, this metric refers to where the ISS will leave your field of view in the night sky. Max Height: Measured in degrees, or elevation, max height refers to the height the ISS will be from the horizon line.Īppears: Measured in degrees from the horizon, this metric refers to where the ISS will first be visible in the night sky. Visible: This metric refers to the length of time the ISS will be visible in the night sky before it disappears below the horizon line. Image Caption: International Space Station sighting information for Friday, September 20, 2019, in the Chicago area.īut what do these pieces of information mean? Here’s a little key to help you on your way: You can see the key metrics below: Visible, Max Height, Appears, and Disappears. In the listing of upcoming ISS sightings, you’ll see a few key pieces of information that will help you locate the ISS in your night sky using a telescope. How to Find the International Space Station Using Spot the Station The International Space Station is home to six astronauts and science labs from the United States, Russia, Japan and other countries.Image Caption: Click the blue button labeled “Sign Up for Alerts Now!” to get email or text message alerts for your area. If you sign up for an alert on NASA's Spot the Station site, you'll generally receive a notification about 12 hours before the space station will pass overhead. Look for a bright star-like spot moving across the sky without changing direction and - voila! - that's the International Space Station. The space station also moves at a much faster pace than a plane, about 17,500 miles (28,000 kilometers) per hour, while a typical airplane clocks in at about 600 miles (965 kilometers) per hour, though their relative distances from the surface don't make for exact speed comparisons. The cumulative volume of its many modules makes it large enough to cover a football field. ![]() It may seem like a dot in the night sky, but the space station is actually the size of a six-bedroom house. The space station looks like that, except without the flashing lights, so it's a little tougher to spot. Most of us have seen an airplane moving across the night sky with flashing lights. You just type in what city you live in, and the site offers up-to-date information on the ISS and its trajectory, including alerts that can let you know exactly when to watch the night sky for a space station spotting. Most of the time, these circumstances only line up every few weeks.Īnd that's where NASA's Spot the Station website comes in. It must be dark where you are and the space station must be traveling overhead - 40 degrees or more above the horizon - as it continues its trajectory around the globe. For a dawn or dusk space station sighting to occur, conditions have to be just right.
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