The International Space Station as a bright star in the sky – see the International Space Station firsthand

The International Space Station (ISS) orbits the Earth 16 times a day – and you can watch it. How to find the space station in the sky and watch it live.

The International Space Station (ISS) orbits the Earth – it takes about an hour and a half to orbit our planet. They can often be seen from the ground. The International Space Station is the third brightest object in the sky in flight – right after the sun and moon.

Flying over the International Space Station is easy to notice, you only need three things: time and direction of the flyby, an idea of ​​the cardinal points (or compass) and good weather. Then it is very easy to see the International Space Station living in the sky while flying over it. The International Space Station is easy to spot: it looks like a very bright star and moves quickly, but without blinking, from west to east.

Watch the flyby of the International Space Station – this is how you see the space station living in the sky

In the coming days, you can see the International Space Station directly over Germany at the following times:

In addition to the International Space Station, there are many other satellites orbiting the Earth, which can also be seen in the sky again and again. In general, if a “star” was moving fast, it could be a satellite. However, if it flashes, it is a plane. If several bright points of light were dragging one behind the other across the sky, it could be SpaceX’s “Starlink” satellites.

The International Space Station orbits the Earth 16 times a day – and you can watch it over and over again

The International Space Station orbits Earth at about 28,000 kilometers per hour at an altitude of 370 to 460 kilometers and flies over 90 percent of all inhabited areas on our planet. The space station, which has been inhabited for more than 20 years, orbits the Earth 16 times a day – astronauts: Those who live on board the International Space Station can witness 16 sunrises and sunsets per day. But they don’t have much time for this: They have a tight program on board the International Space Station, and they have to conduct and supervise many experiments or deal with sometimes very difficult and time-consuming space missions.

Many astronauts spend their spare time on the International Space Station photographing the Earth and posting pictures on Twitter or Instagram, for example. But Earth observation is also part of the ISS residents’ job: indoors. The images show, for example, how the Earth is changing over time – from urban growth to natural disasters like floods or volcanic eruptions. (Tania Banner)