Spot the station.
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- time That’s when the viewing opportunity will begin in your local time zone. All sightings will occur within a few hours before or after sunrise or sunset. This is the best viewing period because the Sun reflects off the space station and contrasts with the dark sky.
- Visible That’s the maximum time the space station can be visible before it drops back below the horizon.
- Maximum height Measured in degrees (also called elevation). It represents the height of the space station above the horizon in the night sky. The horizon is at zero degrees, and directly overhead is ninety degrees. If you hold your fist at arm’s length and your fist on the horizon, the upswing will be about 10 degrees.
- appears. The point in the sky where the station will be first visible. This value, like maximum altitude, is also measured in degrees above the horizon. The letters represent compass directions—N is north, WNW is west to northwest, and so on.
- disappears. Represents where the International Space Station will leave your viewpoint in the night sky.
Important: The International Space Station orbits with an inclination of 51.6 degrees. This means that it is 51.6 degrees latitude at its furthest north and south of the equator when it rotates. If you live north or south of 51.6 degrees, the ISS will never pass directly over your head—this includes places like Alaska. Spot the Station cannot accurately inform you of all visible space station passes at these locations. Spot the station’s viewing opportunities pages. will give you a list of all possible space station sightings for your location.
A space station looks like an airplane or a very bright star moving across the sky, except it doesn’t have flashing lights and doesn’t change direction. It would also move significantly faster than a normal airplane (airplanes typically fly at about 600 miles (965 km) per hour; the space station flies at 17,500 miles (28,000 km) per hour). .