How to spot the International Space Station flying above UK this week
Find out how you can spot it 👇
The world has been going a bit space-mad recently, with the world's wealthiest competing in a modern-day space race. Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Richard Branson have spent vast sums of their wealth chasing their space travel dreams.
Which leaves most of us gazing up at the skies in awe and jealousy. For the next few days though, we'll have more than just the stars and the moon to look out for.
With the hot weather set to continue for a few days, conditions couldn't be more perfect to watch the International Space Station (ISS) soar across the UK.
The ISS orbits the Earth every 90 minutes travelling through 16 sunrises and sunsets in just 24 hours. It's used as a home for astronauts and orbits Earth at an average altitude of 250 miles.
No equipment is needed, you should be able to spot it with the naked eye. NASA says it will look like a fast-moving plane, only much higher and travelling thousands of miles an hour faster.
Weather permitting, it will be visible above the UK at these times ⬇️
The times will vary by a few minutes depending on exactly where you are in the country, but this is a good guide for when you should be looking.
- Thu Jul 22, 10:50pm (appears 10° above W, disappears 10° above ESE)
- Fri Jul 23, 12:27am (appears 10° above W, disappears 24° above S)
- Fri Jul 23, 11:40pm (appears 10° above W, disappears 19° above SSE)
- Sat Jul 24, 10:52pm (appears 10° above W, disappears 11° above SE)
- Sun Jul 25, 12:30am (appears 10° above WSW, disappears 14° above SW)
- Sun Jul 25, 11:42pm (appears 10° above WSW, disappears 17° above S)
- Mon Jul 26, 10:55pm (appears 10° above W, disappears 13° above SSE)
- Tue Jul 27, 11:46pm (appears 10° above SW, disappears 10° above SSW)
- Wed Jul 28, 10:57pm (appears 10° above WSW, disappears 10° above S)
- Sat Jul 31, 10:14pm (appears 10° above SW, disappears 10° above SW)
With barely a cloud in sight, there's no better time to spend a night under the stars.
Tips for seeing the stars
1. Dark sky
You might not realise how much light pollution there is in your neighbourhood, find out more about light pollution and where you can find a really dark sky here.
Allow your eyes 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Don't forget that the moon can also interfere so try to avoid times when it is visible.
2. Date and time
To increase your chances of seeing some meteors make sure you find out the best time to look for them. Often it is when the sky is at its darkest (in the middle of the night), or if there is a meteor shower, when the radiant (where the meteors come from - the constellation Leo) is high in the sky.
3. Look in the right area
It sounds obvious, but the sky is a very large area and meteors are very fast! Make sure you know which area of the sky you should be looking in. The Leonids come from Leo, the easiest way to find it would be to use a free sky map app on your phone. We've also included a video at the bottom of this page to help you find it.
4. Good weather
Again, it seems obvious, but there's no point in standing in the cold when it's cloudy. Check the weather forecast before going outside, and if it's going to be clear later on then wait until then if you can.
5. Don't use a telescope or binoculars
Using a telescope or binoculars will DECREASE your chances of seeing a meteor. Meteors are so quick that you are likely to miss them if you don't use the naked eye. Save your telescope or binoculars for the moon or planets.