The International Space Station will be visible in the night sky over Champaign-Urbana this week, and with the weather forecast being clear and cloudless, this is a great opportunity for kids to view it.
NASA has an online tool which indicates when and where the ISS will be visible. It even gives you directions on how to spot it in the night sky.
So what is the International Space Station? It’s an active scientific laboratory, currently doing musculoskeletal and chemistry research, all while orbiting the Earth. It currently is home to two Americans, an Englishman and three Russians.
With the sightings limited only to a few minutes, you don’t have to wonder whether or not it’s coming. According to NASA, the space station “looks like an airplane or a very bright star moving across the sky, except it doesn’t have flashing lights or change direction. It will also be moving considerably faster than a typical airplane (airplanes generally fly at about 600 miles (965 km) per hour; the space station flies at 17,500 miles (28,000 km) per hour).”
The Space Station is typically visible around sunrise or sunset, because
Here’s a quick look at when you will be able to find the ISS in the night sky this week:
If you miss the ISS this week, you can sign up for reminders as to when it will be back again. Happy viewing!