Look up early this evening to see the International Space Station (ISS) flying through the night sky!
Starting at 6:06 p.m. this evening, the station will be visible over Connecticut. It will appear 10 degrees above the horizon in the northwest sky, and reach 61 degrees at its peak height in the sky.
Unlike many astronomical events, the human eye can actually pick out the space station. It will look like a bright star or airplane moving through the sky.
The viewing window lasts for six minutes, ending at 6:12 p.m. when the ISS disappears 10 degrees above the east-southeast horizon.
Another very short viewing window will occur at 7:45 p.m. in the west-southwest sky, but that window only lasts less than a minute!
The ISS can be visible several times a week, like this week, or as infrequent as once a month, according to NASA.
Light from the sun reflects off the station just like it reflects off the moon, but the station is relatively small. That means the ISS must be moving overhead while it's dark, not to mention with clear skies, in order to see it.
Those with DSLR cameras should have an ideal long-exposure photo opportunity tonight since the sky will be mostly clear and the weather very bearable for this time of year, with temperatures in the 20s.
According to NASA, the ISS goes around the earth once every hour and a half at 17,500 mph.
The space station will be visible for the next four nights, with each viewing opportunity occuring early in the evening.
