You can still catch a last glimpse of the ISS
Astronomy and space lovers are in for a treat, shortly after seeing the Christmas star on December 21, the International Space Station will be making an appearance this week until January 6.
For illustration purposes. Picture: EPA-EFE/NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Naval Research Lab/Parker Solar Probe / H Credits: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Naval Research Lab/Parker Solar Probe/Guillermo Stenborg
If you missed the International Space Station (ISS) this past few days, you can still catch it on Wednesday. The ISS appeared on Sunday and Monday and will be passing overhead again tomorrow at about 8.56pm for two minutes, at 10° above west-northwest.
According to a statement by The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ((NASA), the ISS is a large space craft that circles Earth every 90 minutes, travelling at about 28,000km/h.
“It serves as a home where crews of astronauts and cosmonauts live and is also a unique science laboratory,” states NASA.
Space.com says that the ISS completes multiple orbits around Earth every day, and now you can track it at an average altitude of 248 miles (400km) above Earth. The space station is the third-brightest object in the sky. Although this high-flying satellite can be seen from the ground, it passes by quickly, so it helps to know where to look.
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NASA officials explained that the space station was most visible in the sky at dusk until dawn and would likely appear as a bright light moving quickly across the sky, as the space station flies at approximately 18,000 mph (28,968 km/h).
They also launched a new interactive map that allows users to enter their location and find the best places to view the station as it passes overhead in a 50-mile (80-kilometre) radius.
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