FINDING THE SPACE STATION--

The top photo shows the station as it existed in December 1998. The background is the blackness of space. The lower photo shows the station in August 2007. This background appears to be scattered clouds over a desert area of Earth. NASA photos.

Here is a web site where you can find the station's orbital information.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html.

Launch the search and you should arrive at NASA’s main space station page.

Click on the upper right box entitled “See the ISS in the Night Sky.”

That will take you to their “Sightings Page”. See the left column and click on the active link “here.”

That will take you to a new panel where “United States” is offered as the default country. Click on “Go to Country” or select another country of your choice.

If you selected and clicked on the US that will return a page listing the US states. Click on your state.

That should give you a large list of towns in your state. Pick your town. If it is not listed, pick the next closest. Even if it is 100 miles distant the results will be fine.

We are looking into space, after all, and whether we see it from Cincinnati or Mansfield the view will be nearly the same.

This last page will return a listing of sightings that will give you columns showing the date and time of the sighting, its duration, its maximum elevation, its direction of approach and direction of departure in degrees above the horizon.

If the duration is short or the elevation is low it may be difficult to see the station because it could be obscured by your horizon. Your results will be most satisfying if the station is going to be 30 degrees or more above the horizon.

Yes, you will be able to stand in your yard and see the station fly by with your naked eye. It will look like a fairly bright star moving across the sky about the speed of a high altitude airliner.

It is visible to you simply because your sky is dark and the station is still traveling in sunlight which it reflects. So, your sightings always will be somewhat after dusk or a bit before dawn.

Bookmark the page—and good hunting!