{"id":627347,"date":"2026-05-06T18:41:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T18:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/627347\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T18:41:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T18:41:08","slug":"international-space-station-often-visible-from-earth-how-to-spot-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/627347\/","title":{"rendered":"International Space Station often visible from Earth. How to spot it"},"content":{"rendered":"

The International Space Station has long cemented its legacy as an iconic feature in Earth’s orbit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more than 25 years<\/a>, astronauts from the U.S. and all over the world have made the orbital outpost their home<\/a> \u2013 helping establish humanity’s constant presence among the stars. While aboard the ISS, astronauts from all over the world<\/a>\u00a0not only help keep the station operational, but prepare for humans to venture deeper<\/a> into\u00a0space<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Visiting the space station may be unattainable for the rest of us<\/a> here on Earth, but did you know you can still spot it from hundreds of miles away?<\/p>\n

Because the station orbits Earth once every 90 minutes, the crew on board sees 16 sunrises and sunsets every day. That also means the station, traveling at dizzying speeds of about 17,500 mph, is routinely visible to spectators on the ground.<\/p>\n

In honor of Earth Day, see these photos of our planet from space<\/p>\n

1 of 12<\/p>\n

The crew of Artemis II captured a breathtaking image of a celestial event known as an “Earthset,” in which the Earth dropped below the lunar horizon. The image is reminiscent of the iconic “Earthrise” photo that NASA astronaut Bill Anders captured in 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission that showed our planet rising on the lunar horizon.<\/p>\n

Here’s everything to know<\/a> about the International Space Station, and how to spot it from Earth before the aging outpost is retired and deorbited<\/a> in the years ahead.<\/p>\n

What is the International Space Station?<\/p>\n

The International Space Station<\/a>\u00a0has been stationed\u00a0in low-Earth orbit for more than 25 years, typically about 260 miles high, where it has been\u00a0home to astronauts from all over the world<\/a>. Throughout its lifespan, the station has served as a test bed<\/a> for scientific research in microgravity and has in years past opened itself up to private commercial missions.<\/p>\n

The orbital laboratory\u00a0is operated through a global partnership<\/a> of space agencies, including NASA, Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.<\/p>\n

More than 290 spacefarers from 26 countries have visited the International Space Station,\u00a0including 170 from the United States<\/a>\u00a0alone, according to NASA.<\/p>\n

International Space Station marks 25 years with humans on board. See photos<\/p>\n

1 of 13<\/p>\n

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke inserts a cryogenic storage unit containing research samples into a science freezer for preservation and later analysis on the International Space Station.<\/p>\n

When to see the space station from Earth<\/p>\n

The International Space Station, which completes 16 orbits of Earth per day, is regularly visible to spectators around the globe.<\/p>\n

The best time to spot the orbital outpost is within a few hours before or after both sunrise and sunset, according to NASA. That’s because the station reflects sunlight just like the moon<\/a>, but isn’t bright enough to see during the day.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t live in the extreme north or south of the world, you may be able to spot the ISS at least once a month \u2013 and perhaps even more frequently, according to the Planetary Society<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How can you track the ISS? There’s an app for that<\/p>\n

NASA’s “Spot the Station<\/a>” mobile app allows\u00a0users to receive notifications for when the International Space Station passes over their respective locations. The app also provides real-time tracking data.<\/p>\n

The mobile app is available to download for free in Apple’s App Store<\/a> for iPhone users and, for Android users, on Google Play<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The European Space Agency has also developed an online tracker<\/a> you can bookmark on your desktop that shows where the station is at any given time. The tool even shows the station’s path in the previous 90 minutes, as well as its path 90 minutes ahead.<\/p>\n

How can you spot the space station in orbit? Do you need binoculars?<\/p>\n

Make sure you have an unimpeded view of the sky to catch the ISS passing overhead. The station’s orbit makes it appear as if it is traveling from west to east.<\/p>\n

The “Spot the Station” app will tell you exactly where in the sky the ISS will appear and how high in the sky it will be.<\/p>\n

No special equipment is needed to spot the station, which can easily be seen with the naked eye. Binoculars and telescopes, though, will provide an enhanced view that could even unveil details like the station’s solar arrays and individual modules, according to the Planetary Society.<\/p>\n

NASA releases thousands more Artemis II photos. Here are the best.<\/p>\n

1 of 15<\/p>\n

NASA released thousands of new photos taken during the Artemis II mission around the moon. The astronauts selected for the mission thoroughly documented the 10-day voyage, which included an April 6 lunar flyby as they traveled more than a quarter-million miles from Earth.<\/p>\n

How bright is the ISS? What does it look like from Earth?<\/p>\n

The International Space Station can under certain conditions be among the brightest objects in the sky \u2013 outshined only by the sun and moon. That means it’s even brighter than Venus<\/a>, the brightest planet in the sky.<\/p>\n

This isn’t because the ISS gives off much of its own light, but because \u2013 with its array of solar panels \u2013 it is exceptional at reflecting sunlight off it, according to the Planetary Society.<\/p>\n

If you spot it, the space station should appear as a solid bright light whizzing across the night sky.<\/p>\n

What astronauts are on the International Space Station?SpaceX Crew-12 mission to send 4 astronauts to space station. Photos<\/p>\n

1 of 9<\/p>\n

The four crew members representing NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station pose for a portrait at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. From left are, Roscosmos cosmonaut and Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, Crew-12 Pilot and Commander respectively, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Mission Specialist Sophie Adenot.<\/p>\n

Seven astronauts<\/a> who are part of Expedition 74<\/a> are living and working aboard the International Space Station.<\/p>\n

That includes four people who are part of the Crew-12 mission<\/a> that docked in mid-February: NASA astronauts Jessica Meir<\/a> and\u00a0Jack Hathaway<\/a>, as well as the European Space Agency’s Sophie Adenot<\/a>\u00a0and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. The Crew-12 contingent are due to depart in September following the arrival of Crew-13.<\/p>\n

NASA astronaut Chris Williams<\/a>\u00a0and Russians Sergey Mikaev and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, who arrived at the end of November<\/a> on a Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, will also be at the orbital laboratory until their replacements arrive in July.<\/p>\n

Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: You can often see the ISS from Earth. Here’s a guide for when, where<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The International Space Station has long cemented its legacy as an iconic feature in Earth’s orbit. For more…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":627348,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[271405,22245,3631,718,79],"class_list":["post-627347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-earth39s-orbit","tag-european-space-agency","tag-international-space-station","tag-nasa","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=627347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627347\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/627348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=627347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=627347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}