Wash: That sounds like something out of science fiction.
Zoë: You live in a spaceship, dear.
We have been living in space for over 15 years now. Since November 2000, over 220 people from 17 countries have continuously crewed the International Space Station. The ISS is something that we’ve done together as humans with major partners being the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and European Space Agency.
The ISS is easy to see in the dark skies of the Driftless Area. Because it orbits 250 miles above our planet, it is often in sunlight while we are in darkness. Its solar panels are as large as a soccer field and reflect the sunlight to those below often making it brighter than any star. It makes over 15 orbits every day letting its crew enjoy 15 sunrises and 15 sunsets.
There are many websites and apps to tell you when and where to look, but my favorite is heavens-above.com. After you enter your location (by name or 43º N and 90º W), you’ll get a chart giving times and location. When it first rises above the horizon, the ISS appears dimmer and slower. As it climbs higher in the sky, it gains brightness and speed. As it passes into Earth’s shadow or sets below the horizon, it again appears to lose speed and brightness. A typical pass takes about five minutes, so you have plenty of time to enjoy and share the sight.
December is a great time to see the ISS. Because of its orbit, the ISS can be found at dusk for about three weeks before moving to dawn for three weeks. The ISS will be in the evening sky December 3-25. Check Heavens-Above for specific times and remember that its orbit sometimes changes.
You’re watching a spaceship over an acre in size traveling at over 17,000 mph (almost 5 miles every second). In the five minutes that it’s visible, it will have passed over 1500 miles or halfway across the United States. It circles the Earth every 93 minutes, so sometimes it’s possible to watch it twice in the same evening. It is crewed by six astronauts who typically live on the ISS for six months. At the beginning of December, that’s Scott, Mikhail, Sergey, Kjell, Oleg, and Kimiya. In mid-December, Kjell, Oleg, and Kimiya are due to return to Earth and be replaced by Yuri, Tim, and Tim. Give them a wave from our home in the Driftless Area as they pass overhead in their home in the ISS.
John Heasley is an astronomy educator and stargazer who enjoys connecting people with the cosmos. He volunteers with NASA/JPL as a Solar System Ambassador. For more information about stargazing in southwest WI, like Driftless Stargazing LLC on Facebook and find out whenever there’s something awesome happening in the skies. Driftless Dark Skies appears monthly in the Voice of the River Valley.