Introduction
The ISS has created a possibility for humans to have a continuous presence in space. People have been appreciating the opportunity of observing the International Space Station sailing across the sky for quite some time now. For many, it is as pleasant of an experience as observing a meteor shower or simply standing outside watching the stars on a cloudless night sky.
What is the ISS?
The International Space Station or the ISS is the biggest object made by people to drift across space and it can be viewed from wherever around the globe, under the right circumstances of course. The ISS is a high-tech laboratory, floating around our planet at around 27.600 km/h. It is a place where astronauts live, work, and do tests, and it has been circling the Earth since 1998.
Six people, excluding visitors, can fit into the ISS. If the station were to land on Earth, it would weigh 420 tons. NASA makes finding the station for amateur astronomers easier with the Spot the Station program, which enables alerts to let you know when ISS will be visible from your location. There is also a function with a map, which tells the observer when to look at the sky.
The ISS and the Telescope
If you think the ISS is too small to see with your bare eyes, you are wrong, as it is one of the easiest objects in the sky to be found, even without a telescope. It is brighter than Venus and its size is similar to Jupiter, but the only problem is that it moves very quickly and you can miss it fast.
The ISS might resemble a plane at first sight, but you should notice the constant movement with no flashing lights as it grows brighter. NASA said that “the space station is visible because it reflects the light of the Sun – the same reason we can see the Moon.” Nevertheless, it still isn’t bright enough to be seen when the Sun is out. The International Space Station is visible only at dusk or dawn.
Conclusion
A telescope is not needed to spot the ISS, but those with a quality telescope can also observe the minor details that otherwise cannot be seen. So next time you want to know where astronauts cook their dinner, grab your telescope and observe.
