How do I find the space station?

ISS Long Exposure Photograph - Credit: Mark Humpage

Some have asked me if you can see the space station on earth. The answer is absolutely yes! In fact, you can spot it nearly anywhere, even if it is fairly cloudy, as long as you know where to look. You won't miss it either. It is the brightest object in the night sky save for the Moon. Earthly objects may be brighter, but you won't mistake them for the space station. Airplanes, for example, have strobes that blink. So if you see a star that is moving, and it blinks, it is a plane, not a flying laboratory 250 miles up.

Where to go to find where to look?

NASA has a website called Spot The Station here: http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/. You just enter your information, and it will tell you where to look.

Also, you can find out where the station is by googling where is the ISS. There will be a number of different tracker maps. My favorite is here: http://www.satflare.com/track.asp?q=25544#TOP

While you are out looking, you might see other small satellites too. If you note where you saw them, you can check heavens-above.com to find out what you saw. They have a large database of space objects ranging from spent boosters to active DirectTV satellites. You might even see an Iridium flare if you are lucky.

If you get a few minutes, and what to watch some pretty neat HD video from the ISS - LIVE - then you can head over to the ISS Live link at the top of the page.