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Track the ISS: How and where to see it

You can see the International Space Station (ISS) from Earth you just need to know where and when to look.

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Photographing the iss, iss transit photography expert q&a, additional reading.

The International Space Station (ISS) is a multi-nation laboratory, orbiting 248 miles (400 kilometers) above our heads. It perhaps comes as no surprise that it's easy to see and track the ISS from Earth . 

We can see the ISS from Earth because the colossal structure reflects sunlight, appearing as a bright white pinpoint of light in the sky. When visible, the ISS will typically be the brightest object in the sky (except for the moon ), and can even be spotted from the middle of a city. 

You don't need any specialist skywatching equipment to see the ISS as it is visible to the naked eye. It is therefore a great skywatching target for those living in urban and rural areas alike, as anyone with a view of the sky can potentially see and track the ISS. 

Related: Smartphone astrophotography: How to take pictures of the night sky  

Where and when can I see the ISS?

"The International Space Station's trajectory passes over more than 90% of Earth's population," according to a statement from NASA. The ISS zips around Earth at an average speed of 17,500 mph ( 28,000 km/h), completing 16 orbits per day. As the ISS orbits with an inclination of 51.6 degrees, if you live beyond 51.6 degrees north or south of the equator the ISS will never appear directly overhead. 

The ISS is only visible because it reflects sunlight . It isn't bright enough to be seen in the middle of the day and the best time to view the ISS is either at dawn or dusk. Viewing opportunities of the ISS can vary between one sighting a month to several a week, depending on your location and the orbit of the ISS.

NASA's spot the station widget (below) is a great tool for quickly finding out upcoming ISS viewing opportunities. Simply pop in the location you wish to know for ISS sighting opportunities and let the widget work its magic. It will tell you the time of the ISS flyover along with how long it is visible, the maximum height it will reach in the sky and which direction it will appear and disappear from your field of view. 

In addition, NASA's Spot the Station website is a great place to explore ISS sighting opportunities in your area. You can even sign up for email or text alerts for when the space station is flying over so you'll never miss a viewing opportunity again. 

Though it's worth noting you will only get NASA's Spot the Station alerts when the ISS is passing over with a maximum height of at least 40 degrees, this is because the ISS will be visible above most landscapes at this height. 

NASA has also released a "Spot The Station" app, which can be downloaded for free on  iOS  and  Android  devices. The app builds on the space agency's official "Spot the Station" website and provides a wealth of information and added capabilities to help curious skywatchers see and track the ISS.

If you would like to know where the space station is right now, ESA's live map has got you covered. The informative map shows where the ISS is as well as its speed and altitude.

The ISS makes for a fun and interesting observing target in the night sky. With its location and movement tracked with great accuracy as well as night sky alerts from NASA's Spot the Station website, it's perhaps one of the easiest objects to spot in the night sky. 

Related: How to photograph the ISS

Budding astrophotographers from around the world have caught beautiful long-exposure photographs that show the ISS appearing to streak across the sky. To the ground observer, the ISS passing overhead will appear as a bright point of light moving quickly across the sky, similar to a plane but brighter and without the flashing lights. 

If you would like to have a go at photographing the orbiting observatory, consider our best cameras for astrophotography and the best lenses for astrophotography .  

We spoke to astrophotographer Thierry Legault to find out what goes on behind the scenes of his incredible ISS transit footage. From location planning, timings and the equipment needed for the perfect shot.  

Thierry Legault is a French astrophotographer and author. His photographs have been featured in publications around the world and he has written three books; The New Atlas of the Moon with Serge Brunier (Firefly),   Astrophotographie (Eyrolles) , translated in English, German and Spanish and Les Secrets de l'Astrophotographie (Eyrolles) . 

How do you prepare to capture an image of the ISS?

First, I use transit-finder.com to find out where and when transits are visible within a radius of several hundreds of km around my home. I also have to consult the weather forecast during the days before the event, to assess the probability of a clear sky and determine the best area to go (a transit line is very narrow but very long).

I arrive very early in the chosen area because I still have to find a suitable spot, a place where I've never been and where I will probably never go again. And that's one of the most difficult parts of the challenge, it often takes one hour or more. I have to avoid urban areas (too many buildings, roads and streets). Land areas may look better but many trees, electric wires, or private properties are not good. 

Once a spot is found, I run transit finder again because the calculation is renewed every 2 to 3 hours and the trajectory can change significantly.

What challenges do you face when capturing ISS transit images?

Success needs many factors, in particular:

-          A clear sky in front of the sun at the precise moment of the transit

-          No mistake in the choice of the observation site

-          Good view, to get a stable and detailed image.

Most of the time, especially during daytime because of the heating of the ground by the sun, there is a lot of turbulence which blurs the view. The greater the focal length of the lens or the telescope, the bigger the risk of getting fuzzy images!

- Good focusing: On my refractor, focusing is manual and the necessary precision of adjustment is 0.002"

If one link of the chain is defective, the result will be poor, or even non-existent.

- Good choice of exposure: Too bright and the image is overexposed, too dim and there is noise in the image. All the more that the ISS is extremely fast (27000 km/h) and an exposure time that is too long gives a fuzzy ISS because of the movement. 

The longest exposure time is not fixed, it depends on the characteristics of the transit, particularly the distance of the ISS at the moment of the transit (given by transit-finder.com ), and the focal length used. The closer the ISS and the longer the focal length, the shorter the exposure time!

- Shooting at the right moment of the transit. Working in video is easier because one can start to film one minute or so before the calculated time and stop after the transit. But in video mode, the quality of the image will be lower than in a photo (lower resolution, higher noise and compression artifacts). So, I prefer to work in continuous shooting, but generally, the duration of the burst is limited and then I can use a radio-synchronized watch to start the sequence at the right moment

Of course, for a solar transit, a safe solar filter is absolutely mandatory, I recommend the Baader Astrosolar film which is cheap and high quality, if possible in photo density 3.8. 

For a lunar transit , no filter is required.

How do you feel when you see the ISS?

For specific transits, I already traveled more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) by car (transit of the ISS and Atlantis in 2010 from Spain and Switzerland ), and even overseas (transit of Atlantis after launch in 2009 from Florida, transit of the ISS and Mercury in 2016 from Philadelphia)

In this case, you can imagine that there is a lot of adrenalin, a bit like a total eclipse. I have prepared everything carefully, set up the telescope in an unknown place and waited for the precise moment hoping that all the conditions will be met. 

When the transit happens, the ISS is generally too fast to see it transiting live on the camera screen. I have to remove the camera from the telescope and examine all the images one by one to check if the ISS is there, in a good position and sharp. Maximum suspense, because I had only one opportunity!

If you would like to track the ISS along with other Earth-orbiting satellites, check out the N2YO website . Heavens-Above is also a good place to find more ISS tracking information as well as other astronomy resources. Both sites ask you to put in location information and generate tables with viewing times and directions to look to serve as a guide.

You can learn more about the International Space Station with ESA. Check out Transit Finder to plan observations of transit events of the ISS in front of the sun and moon.  Warning: NEVER look at the sun with binoculars, a telescope or your unaided eye with out special protection. Astrophotographers and astronomers use special filters to safely observe the sun while photographing ISS transit, solar eclipses or other sun phenomena. Here's our guide on how to observe the sun safely .

Bibliography

• Montenbruck et al. " Orbital Determination and Prediction of the International Space Station ", Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, Volume 48, No.6, November-December 2011.  
• "The International Space Station" by Clive Gifford ( Wayland, 2017 ).  
• NASA's Spot the Station .
• ESA's ISS tracking map .

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

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Daisy Dobrijevic joined Space.com in February 2022 having previously worked for our sister publication All About Space magazine as a staff writer. Before joining us, Daisy completed an editorial internship with the BBC Sky at Night Magazine and worked at the National Space Centre in Leicester, U.K., where she enjoyed communicating space science to the public. In 2021, Daisy completed a PhD in plant physiology and also holds a Master's in Environmental Science, she is currently based in Nottingham, U.K. Daisy is passionate about all things space, with a penchant for solar activity and space weather. She has a strong interest in astrotourism and loves nothing more than a good northern lights chase! 

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NASA's Spot the Station: How to Spot the ISS From Earth

It's not a bird, or a plane, or a shooting star. It's the International Space Station, and NASA just made it much easier to find the nearly million pound station (and the six astronauts that call it home) as it circles the Earth. The Spot the Station website, which has been sending users text alerts when the ISS was passing nearby for the past few months, just launched an interactive map to show you just when and where you can see the space station fly by your location. And you won't need to set up a telescope to see it: it's the size of a football field and the third brightest object in the sky.

Flying 240 miles above the Earth's surface, the ISS actually crosses over 90 percent of the world's population, according to NASA. Unlike most celestial events like meteor showers and supermoons , you'll have plenty of chances to spot the International Space Station year-round. In fact, if you live in a 50-mile radius of New York City , you'll be able to see the space station tomorrow morning for two minutes at 5:00 a.m. ET; London for two minutes at 5:22 a.m. GMT; and Sydney for about one minute at 9:56 p.m. AEDT.

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

The interactive map also lists out the exact angle the ISS will appear at, so you'll need to look in the direction of the sunrise or sunset depending on what time of day the ISS is passing by and give your eyes enough time to adjust to the darkness. The space station looks like a fast-moving plane or slow-moving shooting star without a contrail or flashing lights, so you will be able to see it with the naked eye. Still, it's advisable to head to an area with little light pollution to make sure you can see the 16-year-old space station cross the sky.

The space station orbits the Earth every 92 minutes, giving astronauts in the ISS 16 chances to see sunrise and another 16 to see sunset each day. While you won't be able to spot yourself from the space station, Google Earth style, you can keep up with the astronaut-eye view through NASA's live stream from the ISS .

ISS observation

When can I spot the Space Station?

Observing the International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) can easily be spotted with the naked eye. Because of its size (110m x 100m x 30m), it reflects a large amount of sunlight.

The best time to observe the ISS is when it is nighttime at your location, and the Space Station is sunlit. Often, such a viewing situation occurs in the morning before sunrise, or in the evening after sunset.

Visible ISS passes over  

You find a list of the next sighting opportunities for   below. The green bars indicate the brightness of the ISS on its pass.

The list contains all visible passes of the ISS during the next ten days . Please click on a pass to get more details.

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See the ISS from your home town

The International Space Station has now been orbiting the Earth over 15 times a day for nearly ten years, yet how many of us have actually seen it? The Where is the International Space Station  gives all the information needed to find the biggest and most powerful spacecraft ever built as it passes over our heads.

Spotting the ISS with the naked eye is not as difficult as it might seem - providing you know in which direction to look. Although the ISS travels at a speed of 7.7 km per second it is in one of the lowest orbits possible - an approximate 400 km above our heads - and thanks to its large solar wings it is one of the brightest ‘stars’ making it fairly easy to distinguish as it visibly moves across the night sky.

The ISS passes over most points on Earth every day but cannot always be seen. The best time for ISS-gazing is just before dawn or just after sunset, when the observer is in the dark but the ISS is in the sun.

To find the current location of the International Space Station visit  www.esa.int/whereistheiss . Here you can see the current position and orbit, including day and night on Earth. 

We are not all astronomers - although being able to spot the ISS may wet our appetites for star gazing - so if you have difficulty with some of the terminology on the site click on the words in blue or check the definitions given below.

Some useful terminology

Altitude (astronomical) or elevation : Altitude used in its astronomical sense means the angle up from the horizon. So 0º altitude is exactly on your local horizon and 90º degrees at the zenith or straight up. If the object is below the horizon then the altitude is negative.

Azimuth : This tells you in which direction to look to find a celestial body and is expressed in degrees or points of the compass. It is an angle which increases from the north in a clockwise direction, therefore 0º corresponds to North, 90º is East, 180º is South and 270º is West.

Epoch (astronomical): The date on which the calculations were made.

Horizon (astronomical sense): The great circle dividing the visible part of the sky from the part hidden by the Earth.

Magnitude (Mag) : A measure giving the brightness of celestial objects. This was classified in the 2nd century BC by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus of Nicea. He classified the stars into 6 magnitudes where 1 is the brightest and 6 is the faintest visible to the naked eye. Very bright bodies such as Sirius, Venus and the Sun have negative magnitudes

Orbit : The path that a satellite follows around a celestial body. The point furthest away from the Earth is called the apogee and the point nearest is called the perigee. The ISS has an elliptical orbit.

Zenith : The point vertically above an observer, 90º from the horizon.

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MLB playoffs clinching scenarios, explained: Mets, Braves, D-backs in complicated NL wild-card race

The nl wild-card race has come down to the final (extra) day of the season.

Sunday was the final day of the 2024 MLB regular season. Well, for 28 of the 30 teams, it was. The Braves and Mets still must play two makeup games Monday at Truist Park , a doubleheader that will determine their postseason fates. No pressure, guys.

Here are the postseason brackets as we await Monday's decisive doubleheader:

AMERICAN LEAGUE Bye:  No. 1 Yankees and No. 2 Guardians Wild Card:  No. 6 Royals at No. 3 Astros (winner plays Guardians) Wild Card:  No. 5 Tigers at No. 4 Orioles (winner plays Yankees)

NATIONAL LEAGUE Bye:  No. 1 Dodgers and No. 2 Phillies Wild Card:  No. 6 TBD at No. 3 Brewers (winner plays Phillies) Wild Card:  No. 5 TBD at No. 4 Padres (winner plays Dodgers)

Those TBDs in the National League bracket will be two of Braves, Diamondbacks and Mets. The Braves and Mets will decide everyone's fate with their doubleheader. The D-backs will be extremely interested observers. Here now is all the important stuff you need to know from the final day of the 2024 regular season proper.

Braves, Mets will play two Monday

Monday's doubleheader, which was necessitated by Hurricane Helene passing through Georgia this past week , is of paramount importance to the Braves, Mets, and D-backs. The D-backs ( ARI 11, SD 2 ) and Mets ( NY 5, MIL 0 ) both won Sunday while the Braves lost ( KC 4, ATL 2 ). Here's what that means for Monday's doubleheader:

The Braves and Mets control their own destinies. One win and they're in. And since the Braves and Mets both go into Monday's doubleheader needing just one win, why not agree to forfeits? One team forfeits the first game, the other team forfeits the second, and you're both in the postseason without burning through your pitching before the Wild Card Series. Smart, right?

That won't happen, of course. Commissioner Rob Manfred would, presumably, invoke the commissioner's "best interests of baseball" authority to make the Braves and Mets play Monday to avoid the farce of two teams clinching postseason berths via forfeits. Whichever team wins Game 1 of the doubleheader will have no incentive to play hard in Game 2 though.

And that is bad news for the D-backs, who need one team to win both games Monday. Doesn't matter which team. They need a sweep to get in, otherwise their season is over. The first game Monday will start at 1:10 p.m. ET. The second game will start approximately 40 minutes after the first game ends. Fun fun fun.

Royals clinch No. 5 seed

Entering Sunday, the Royals and Tigers were already assured postseason berths. The only mystery was which team would be the No. 5 seed and which would be the No. 6 seed. Detroit's loss ( CWS 9, DET 5 ) combined with Kansas City's win ( KC 4, ATL 2 ) secured the No. 5 seed for the Royals. They'll go to Baltimore to play the Orioles in the Wild Card Series. The Tigers have to go to Houston to play the Astros. Again, both teams were already in. They just had to finalize the seeding, which they did Sunday.

Arraez wins third straight batting title

Make it three straight batting titles with three different teams for Luis Arraez. He's the first player in history to do that. Arraez entered Sunday four points ahead of Shohei Ohtani in the NL batting race. Ohtani led the NL in home runs and RBI (by a lot), so passing Arraez in the batting race would have given him the NL's first Triple Crown since Joe Medwick with the 1937 Cardinals.

Ohtani's longshot Triple Crown opportunity did not come to pass , however, and never really got all that interesting. He went 1 for 4 on Sunday and finished the season with a .310 batting average. Arraez went 1 for 3 with a double to finish at .314. Ohtani did steal 59th base, however. He finishes the season with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases, two totals that had never before been done in the same season until Ohtani in 2024.

Ramírez's 40-40 pursuit rained out

Guardians star José Ramírez entered play Sunday with 39 home runs and 41 stolen bases. He needed one more home run on the season's final day to become the seventh 40-40 player in history. Alas and alack, the weather did not cooperate. Sunday's Astros vs. Guardians game in Cleveland was rained out and will not be made up. It was a meaningless game with no bearing on any postseason races, so there was no reason to wait out the rain to wait longer Sunday or play a makeup game Monday. Ramírez's 40-40 season was derailed by the weather. Not cool, Mother Nature.

Braves fall to Royals, 4-2

The Braves' loss to KC in tandem with the wins by the Mets and Diamondbacks means that the final two NL playoff spots hinge on Monday's makeup doubleheader between the Mets and Braves in Atlanta. As noted below, the Braves and Mets will claim the final two wild-card berths if they split that doubleheader. If it's a sweep doubleheader, the D-backs and the sweeping team will head to the postseason. 

Diamondbacks defeat Padres 11-2

This, plus the Mets winning, now only requires the Royals to hold off the Braves in the bottom of the ninth to get the scenario described below -- that being the Mets and Braves can each clinch tomorrow if they split their doubleheader; the D-backs can clinch only if one of those teams wins both games.

Mets defeat Brewers 5-0

Presuming the Royals defeat the Braves and the Diamondbacks do the same to the Padres, then the Mets and Braves will clinch a playoff berth with a single win as part of Monday's doubleheader. The D-backs, meanwhile, would require one of those teams to sweep the other to get in.

If the results hold ...

The Royals would be the fifth seed in the AL, the Tigers the sixth seed. In other words, the Royals would face the Orioles, the Tigers the Astros.

Important scores as of 5:20 p.m. ET

Sure looks like we're going to have meaningful baseball on Monday. Here's where the important games sit:

Mets up 5-0 in the eighth. The win alone will not clinch a postseason berth for the Mets. They would need to win one game Monday to get in (barring a D-backs collapse today).

Braves down 4-2 in the seventh. The loss will not eliminate the Braves. Like the Mets, the Braves would need to win one game Monday (again, barring a D-backs collapse today).

D-backs up 9-2 in the seventh. Arizona can not clinch a postseason berth with a win. It will only make a difficult path a little easier. A loss today would have put them in dire straights though.

If these scores hold, the Mets and Braves will go into Monday's makeup doubleheader needing one win each to qualify for the postseason. The D-backs would need one team to sweep the doubleheader to get in.

Arraez is out of the game

He finishes with a .314 batting average overall, and a .318 batting average with the Padres.

Important scores as of 4:45 p.m. ET

Mets up 5-0 in the sixth. Francisco Lindor hit a home run, his first since missing all those games with a back injury. This game means nothing to the Brewers, who just want to make it through the afternoon without any injuries.

D-backs up 7-1 in the seventh. Arizona broke this one open with a six-run fourth inning against the Padres. Luis Arraez got his 200th hit of the season to seal his third straight batting title.

Braves down 4-2 in the sixth. The Braves do not need to win today to clinch a postseason berth, but a loss would make it necessary to win a game Monday. The Royals aren't playing for anything other than wild-card seeding. They're in the postseason already.

If these scores hold, the Braves and Mets will go into Monday's doubleheader each needing one win to get into the postseason. The D-backs would need one of those two teams to sweep to get in.

Gilbert's perfect game ends

Nick Allen just singled to break up the perfecto with two outs in the top of the sixth. Looks like that'll also bring Gilbert's day and season to a close.

Arraez doubles

That's his 200th hit of the season and pretty much clinches his third straight batting title. Three straight batting titles with three different teams too. That's never been done before.

Raleigh hits a record-setting dinger

He's hit more home runs in his first four years than any catcher in history. Here's his latest:

Raleigh also played Gold Glove defense and led the majors in innings caught this season. The batting average isn't pretty, I know, but the all-around play is exemplary. What a player.

Ohtani is 0-3

That pretty much does it for the Triple Crown. Here's the math on his path to passing Arraez:

Dodgers have already pulled Mookie. Wouldn't be surprised if they take Ohtani out soon.

A's without a baserunner through five

Mariners righty Logan Gilbert has struck out seven of the 15 batters he's faced.

D-backs break it open

A six-run fourth gives them a 6-1 lead over the Padres in what is essentially a must-win game. Ketel Marte hit a two-run dinger.

This game means nothing to Padres, who are locked into the top wild-card spot. Don't be surprised if they pull some regulars soon and pack it in for the afternoon. They have no reason to play hard or risk injury.

Important scores as of 4:11 p.m. ET

Braves down 3-1 to Royals in the forth. Atlanta does not need to win today to clinch a postseason spot. A Diamondbacks loss puts them in as well. Also, the Tigers are down big to the White Sox. If the scores hold, Kansas City will be the No. 5 seed (and go to Baltimore) and the Tigers will be the No. 6 seed (and go to Houston).

Mets up 3-0 over Brewers in the fourth. The Mets can not be eliminated today, but a win would greatly improve their postseason chances if the D-backs beat the Padres. This game means nothing to Milwaukee. Their priority is making it out with no injuries.

D-backs up 3-1 over the Padres in the fourth. Arizona rallied in the fourth to take the lead. If these three scores hold, both games of Monday's doubleheader would be necessary to decide the postseason field. Fun!

Early no-hit watches

The last game of the season tends to inspire favorable pitching conditions, with batters and umpires both readily expanding their zones. Of the teams already playing today, just two are still without a hit: the Cubs (vs. Reds, top of the fourth) and the Athletics (vs. Mariners, bottom of the fourth). 

Braves get one back

It's now 3-1 Royals after Gio Urshela's third inning solo homer:

The D-backs are still down 1-0 in the fourth. An Arizona loss puts Atlanta in the postseason no matter what the Braves do today.

Ohtani now 0-2 as well

He grounded out to second in his second at-bat. If the Padres pull Arraez from the game right now, Ohtani would need to go 4 for 4 the rest of today to pass him in batting average. Looking less and less likely Ohtani will get the batting title and Triple Crown.

Arraez now 0-2

He lined out to center in his second at-bat. That bumps him down to .313. Ohtani is at .310 after grounding out in his first at-bat.

D-backs down 1-0

Elias Diaz doubled down the line for the Padres.

Arizona will not automatically be eliminated with a loss, though their path to the postseason gets really, really tough.

Braves down 3-0 early

Michael Massey with a three-run shot against Chuck Morton three batters into the game:

Atlanta can clinch a spot with a win or a D-backs loss today. Taking care of business themselves just got a little more difficult.

Mets take an early 1-0 lead

Francisco Lindor walked, stole second, then scored on Brandon Nimmo's single.

The Mets need a win and a D-backs loss to clinch a postseason berth. They can not be eliminated today, worst case is they're playing for their season tomorrow in Atlanta, but they'd rather not do that.

Arraez and Ohtani

Luis Arraez and Shohei Ohtani both made outs in their first at-bats of the game. Arraez remains four points up in the loss column. Even one out severely hurts Ohtani's chances at a Triple Crown.

Welcome to Game 162

Except for the Braves and Mets, that is. We've got a few weather delays already (Astros-Guardians in Cleveland and Pirates-Yankees in New York), which is a pain. Here are the most important games today:

-- Royals at Braves (Braves clinch a wild-card spot with a win) -- Mets at Brewers (Mets need a win and a Diamondbacks loss to clinch) -- Padres at D-backs (D-backs need a win and losses by the Braves and Mets to clinch)

What we're also watching today: Shohei Ohtani's pursuit of Luis Arraez and the NL batting title (and Triple Crown), and also José Ramírez chasing 40-40. He needs one home run to get there.

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Years in Orbit

Astronauts visited, international space station, about the international space station.

The station was designed between 1984 and 1993. Elements of the station were in construction throughout the US, Canada, Japan, and Europe beginning in the late 1980s.

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We are driven to explore the unknown, discover new worlds, push the boundaries of our scientific and technical limits, and then push further.

The International Space Station Program’s greatest accomplishment is as much a human achievement as it is a technological one—how best to plan, coordinate, and monitor the varied activities of many organizations and operations.

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the space station. The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Explore quick facts about the International Space Station.

Learn more about the international collaboration, missions, research, and technology that make the space station a unique place.

Over 260 individuals representing 20 countries and five International Partners have visited the International Space Station.

Learn more about the people from around the world who have visited the station.

NASA astronauts often spend extended periods of time aboard the International Space Station.

NASA tracks and publishes the single spaceflight record holders (the most days spent in space on a single mission) and the cumulative days in space record holders (combined time in space over an astronaut’s career).

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Launched in 1998 and involving the U.S., Russia, Canada, Japan, and the participating countries of the European Space Agency — the International Space Station is one of the most complex international collaborations ever attempted.

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ESA, JAXA, Roscosmos, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX, each have launched their own space freighters to resupply the International Space Station. NASA, Roscosmos, SpaceX, and Boeing have also launched their own crew ships to the orbital outpost.

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There have been 259 spacewalks at the International Space Station since December 1998.

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In an effort to expand the research opportunities of this unparalleled platform, the space station was designated as a U.S. National Laboratory in 2005 by Congress, enabling space research and development access to a broad range of commercial, academic, and government users. 

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A YouTube playlist containing a variety of videos about the International Space Station.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does all this sighting information mean?

Time  is when the sighting opportunity will begin in your local time zone. All sightings will occur within a few hours before or after sunrise or sunset. This is the optimum viewing period as the sun reflects off the space station and contrasts against the darker sky.

Visible  is the maximum time period the space station is visible before crossing back below the horizon.

Max Height  is measured in degrees (also known as elevation). It represents the height of the space station from the horizon in the night sky. The horizon is at zero degrees, and directly overhead is ninety degrees. If you hold your fist at arm's length and place your fist resting on the horizon, the top will be about 10 degrees.

Appears is the location in the sky where the station will be visible first. This value, like maximum height, also is measured in degrees from the horizon. The letters represent compass directions -- N is north, WNW is west by northwest, and so on.

Disappears represents where in the night sky the International Space Station will leave your field of view.

If you signed up, entered your registration code and received an on-screen confirmation message then you're signed up! Chances are the International Space Station just hasn't passed over your location at dawn or dusk yet. Read the FAQ “Why aren't there any sighting opportunities for my location” for more information.

If you signed up with your email address, check your spam folder to see if alert messages are going there. Add SpotTheStation@ no spam. hq.nasa.gov to your list of allowed senders to prevent alerts from going to spam or junk email.

If you signed up by email make sure the email containing the code didn't end up in your spam folder. This email will appear to come from noreply@ no spam. nasa.gov .

Add the SpotTheStation@ no spam. hq.nasa.gov email address to your list of allowed senders.

If it has been more than one hour and you haven't received the requested code please try the process again and if you're still have problems, email us at SpotTheStation@ no spam. hq.nasa.gov for assistance.

Alerts are generally sent about 24 hours before the International Space Station pass. This means you'll receive the message the night before for a morning pass and the morning of for an evening pass.

If you are not receiving the alerts on time, see related FAQs for an explanation.

Spot The Station alerts are sent out 24 hours before an upcoming space station pass. Unfortunately, some email providers queue messages in an unpredictable way. Adding SpotTheStation@ no spam. hq.nasa.gov to list of allowed senders or contacts list might help.

You can also obtain a two-week schedule of space station passes from the website. Please see the next FAQ for details.

Visit the Sighting Opportunities page and enter your location to find out when the space station will be passing over you during the next two weeks.

You can bookmark this page or print the schedule for easy access.

"The email address / mobile number you entered is not valid” - Make sure you have entered a properly formatted email or SMS address. Mobile phone numbers do not require any formatting, you can simply enter as a string of digits; special characters like parenthesis and dashes are not required.

“The email address / mobile number you provided cannot be found” - You are attempting to renew or cancel alerts for an email address or mobile number that does not appear to be registered.

"It looks like you have already attempted this process but not yet completed it. Please check your email or text messages for an 8-digit code and instructions to complete the process or wait 24-hours and try again.” - You will receive this error message if you try to initiate the same request more than three times without entering your 8-digit code to complete the process. Please complete your request now or wait 24-hours and try again.

“The code you entered is not valid. Please try again.” - If you have received this message, verify the correct 8-digit code is entered and that the code is less than 24-hours old. Codes expire after 24-hours at which point a new code will be required.

"You must cancel your current alert before creating a new one or create a new alert using a different email address or mobile number.” - You can only sign up for one alert per email address or mobile number. If you want to change the alert you are receiving you have to cancel the existing alert and sign up for a new one. If you wish to have alerts sent to you for more than one location you can sign up using different email addresses or mobile numbers.

“You have already completed your sign up / renewal / cancellation” - You will receive this error message if you attempt to enter your 8-digit code more than once. No further action is required.

“You have exceeded the number of incomplete requests allowed from your IP address. Please wait 24-hours and try again.” - To prevent spam, Spot The Station limits the number of incomplete requests allowed from each IP address. Please complete your request now or wait 24-hours and try your request again

If you are receiving other error messages or continue to have trouble, please let us know .

Your SMS Address is an email address used to send text messages to mobile phones. The format is your 10-digit mobile number followed by the email address of your mobile carrier. For example, an AT&T SMS address would be [email protected] . Check with your individual carrier for their format.

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