If the clouds dissipate, you just might get to glimpse the International Space Station soon. Or if you’re traveling to a more open-sky geography, check out NASA’s Sighting Opportunities webpage.
Throughout each week, the Johnson Space Center’s Mission Control releases sighting opportunities of the International Space Station for thousands of locations, including Corvallis. You can sometimes see the station once a month to several times a week, depending on certain variables.
The space station is visible only during times when the sky is dark because it reflects light from the sun. Spotting the station doesn’t happen all the time because it needs to be overhead, dark, and 40 degrees or more above the horizon. No telescope needed.
The best time to view the station is within a few hours of dusk or dawn. The sighting location website gives the time and location in the sky to look, the max height, and when it disappears. During these times, the space station is visible for sometimes up to a few minutes.
The station will look like an airplane, only faster and without the blinking lights.
You can even sign up for alerts, which will notify you when your location has the best chance of spotting the orbiting satellite.
By Peggy Perdue
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