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Summer Space Station Spotting; See the ISS from Your Backyard
By Diana Jong
Staff Writer
posted: 07:00 am ET
06 August 2002
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EMBARGOED for They all look like little lights in the sky, but if you go outside tonight and look up at just the right time, one of those dots might be the International Space Station (ISS). Its distinguishing characteristic: It moves. The ISS will be pass over the United States and Canada in the late evening until mid-August and can easily be seen with the naked eye from most backyards. It appears in the southwest and crosses the sky to the northeast in 3 to 6 minutes. At the right orientation, the ISS can be the brightest object in the night sky -- besides the Moon, of course. All of that light comes from reflected sunlight; the ISS, like other satellites, does not produce any visible light of its own.With a good-sized amateur telescope, an observer should be able to make out the station's solar arrays. Each measures more than 100 feet, adding up to a wingspan greater than that of a 747 jumbo jet. The ISS orbits the Earth every 90 minutes at a speed of over 17,000 mph. When it is directly overhead, it is about 400 kilometers (250 miles) high. It also passes over every continent except Antarctica, but people who live at higher than 60 degrees latitude, north or south, cannot see the ISS because of its orbital path. Complete Satellite Spotting Guide For details on how to spot the ISS and other satellites from your location, click here. Munich Public Star Observatory More images, videos, and ISS photo tips Spacewatch Main Page Skywatching news, features and tips, plus our Sky Calendar
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