DENVER (KDVR) — The International Space Station is expected to be visible nightly as it passes over skies in the metro area in early June.
It’s not always visible, but when it is, NASA describes its appearance as similar to a fast airplane or a very bright star moving across the sky, except it maintains one direction and doesn’t have flashing lights.
According to the NASA website, sighting the ISS will be possible through June 10 in the Denver metro area.
When and where to look
The website lists the best viewing times according to when the sun reflects off of the space station to contrast against the dark sky, and how long it will be visible before it crosses back below the horizon.
NASA uses degrees to refer to where the station is located vertically in the sky in relation to the viewer, with zero degrees being the horizon and 90 degrees being directly overhead.
To gauge degrees on the horizon, NASA’s website said you can hold your fist at arm’s length, with the bottom of your fist on the horizon, and the top of your fist will indicate an approximation of 10 degrees above the horizon.
It lists what area of the horizon to look at with north, east, south, and west directions. That, with the degrees of elevation in the sky, should give the viewer a general idea of where the station will appear in their field of view and where it will disappear again.
You can find those details on the website by simply adding a location, and it will redirect you to a chart with more information about your specific location.
According to the site, people in Denver should be able to see the station twice Tuesday night. Its first appearance would begin at 8:56 p.m. near 10 degrees above the northwestern horizon before disappearing seven minutes later at nine degrees above the horizon east of southeast.