Spot the Space Station: How to see the incredibly bright ISS over Northeast every night through Tuesday
The International Space Station is seen in this 30 second exposure as it flies over Elkton, VA early in the morning, Saturday, August 1, 2015. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
The next several nights will bring excellent opportunities for people across the northeastern United States to see the International Space Station (ISS) streak through sky.
The ISS is the brightest human-made object in the sky and will appear brighter than any other star or planet when it flies through the sky every evening through Tuesday, April 9.
“You can't miss the ISS, even in urban areas, as it is as bright as Venus [the third brightest natural object in the sky],“ AccuWeather Astronomy Blogger Dave Samuhel said.
What time will the International Space Station be visible?
Due to the path that the ISS orbits the Earth, there are times, like this week, where it is visible for several evenings in a row within a few hours of sunset, weather permitting.
Saturday, April 6, may be the best opportunity to look for the ISS due to the largely cloud-free conditions forecast across the Northeast.
Note: The times above show when the brightest passes are expected for New York City. However, it will be visible across much of the Northeast around the same times.
For many people, the Space Station will first appear above the northwestern horizon and climb higher in the sky as it passes overhead. However, this will vary depending on your exact location.
There are several apps and websites that will tell you what time you will be able to see the ISS from your neighborhood, including NASA’s Spot The Station website.
After checking the time when the ISS will be visible, onlookers should check the AccuWeather Astronomy weather forecast for their area to see if clouds will interfere with seeing the station.
Finding the Space Station in the night sky is easy as long as you are looking in the right part of the sky at the right time.
It appears as a solid white dot gliding across the sky. It does not blink like airplanes.
No telescope is required to see the ISS. In fact, using a telescope will make it incredibly difficult to spot the station due to how fast it moves across the sky.
The football field-sized station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes at a speed of 17,500 mph, more than 20 times faster than the speed of sound.
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