It isn’t so difficult to spot the ISS since you will recognize it quickly. The best time to view the ISS is during night time, or when the Sun is setting or rising.Īs the years have passed, the ISS has become larger and larger as upgrades were added, and thus, it became even brighter as well. You can view it with your naked eyes while it transits the sky at thousands of miles per hour.Īs a giant metallic object, measuring 110m x 100m x 30m, the ISS is highly reflective and therefore visible to the naked eye.
It is easily spotted, as it is the third brightest object that appears during nighttime. The International Space Station can be viewed from various locations around the planet. Increasing magnification to about 250x will reveal the solar panels and other components.Ĭan you see an astronaut? Just kidding, let’s dive right in and see what the best conditions for observing the ISS are and how you can find it in the night sky! A quick guide to spotting the ISS To see it more clearly, use a telescope or binoculars with a magnification of 100x or more. It orbits our planets about 15 times a day, so as long as you’re in the orbit path, it’s relatively easy to spot. You can see the ISS with your naked eye from many points on Earth. It is visible to the naked, and you can track it! Here’s how you can observe the ISS It is the most significant artificial object in the sky, and easily the biggest satellite in low orbit. If you are receiving other error messages or continue to have trouble, please let us know.The International Space Station is owned by NASA, CSA, Roscosmos, ESA, and JAXA. Please complete your request now or wait 24-hours and try your request again Please wait 24-hours and try again.” - To prevent spam, Spot The Station limits the number of incomplete requests allowed from each IP address. “You have exceeded the number of incomplete requests allowed from your IP address.
“You have already completed your sign up / renewal / cancellation” - You will receive this error message if you attempt to enter your 8-digit code more than once. If you wish to have alerts sent to you for more than one location you can sign up using different email addresses or mobile numbers. If you want to change the alert you are receiving you have to cancel the existing alert and sign up for a new one. "You must cancel your current alert before creating a new one or create a new alert using a different email address or mobile number.” - You can only sign up for one alert per email address or mobile number. Codes expire after 24-hours at which point a new code will be required. Please try again.” - If you have received this message, verify the correct 8-digit code is entered and that the code is less than 24-hours old. Please complete your request now or wait 24-hours and try again. Please check your email or text messages for an 8-digit code and instructions to complete the process or wait 24-hours and try again.” - You will receive this error message if you try to initiate the same request more than three times without entering your 8-digit code to complete the process.
"It looks like you have already attempted this process but not yet completed it. “The email address / mobile number you provided cannot be found” - You are attempting to renew or cancel alerts for an email address or mobile number that does not appear to be registered. Mobile phone numbers do not require any formatting, you can simply enter as a string of digits special characters like parenthesis and dashes are not required. "The email address / mobile number you entered is not valid” - Make sure you have entered a properly formatted email or SMS address. The letters represent compass directions - N is north, WNW is west by northwest, and so on.ĭisappears represents where in the night sky the International Space Station will leave your field of view. This value, like maximum height, also is measured in degrees from the horizon. If you hold your fist at arm's length and place your fist resting on the horizon, the top will be about 10 degrees.Īppears is the location in the sky where the station will be visible first.
The horizon is at zero degrees, and directly overhead is ninety degrees. It represents the height of the space station from the horizon in the night sky. Max Height is measured in degrees (also known as elevation). Visible is the maximum time period the space station is visible before crossing back below the horizon. This is the optimum viewing period as the sun reflects off the space station and contrasts against the darker sky. All sightings will occur within a few hours before or after sunrise or sunset. Time is when the sighting opportunity will begin in your local time zone. What does all this sighting information mean?