Tonight was a great night for spotting the International Space Station in my area. The ISS appeared just after 6pm around 12 degrees above the northwest horizon. It was out for a total of 6 minutes and went directly over our heads. At its highest point, the ISS was 87 degrees, nearly straight up, from my location. Pictured above is the ISS flying by my house and Jupiter (the brightest “star” in the photo). Can you spot Orion? This is a 32 second exposure with a 5.0 f-stop taken at 18mm.

Spot the Station in your Backyard

Using the link above, you can determine when the ISS will pass by your neighborhood. Simply choose a location and look at the available times. Depending on the cycle, if you’re an early bird, you can wake up before the sun to see it. If you’re a night owl, like myself, you’ll most likely want to wait until it comes back for night-time viewing. The cycle usually changes every couple of months.

Have you seen the ISS?

Have you managed to capture it in a photo or two? Let me know in the observations below!