Image: Nasa.gov (http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html)
Did you know that you can see the space station from your house? Amazing, huh? For those of you who have been living under a rock, let me briefly describe the space station for you. Okay, let me be honest here. I wouldn't know anything about the space station if it weren't for my hubbie who happens to be a space buff and former military man.
What exactly is the space station?
The space station is officially called the International Space Station or ISS for short. The first components of it were launched in the late 1990's. It is a satellite that hovers over the Earth in a low enough orbit where it can be seen by the human eye. The space station is a huge space environment that houses a research laboratory where scientists from multiple countries conduct experiments in biology, physics and astronomy, just to name a few.
How do you receive space station alerts?
So, what exactly should you do to receive email alerts? First, start by signing up at Nasa's Spot the Station website: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/signup.cfm by giving your email address, country, street address, city, state, and zip code. The subscription to the alerts is FREE but will lapse out automatically after a year. You will then receive a resubscribe notification.
My hubbie was hanging out at www.Nasa.gov and found out about the Spot the Space Station alerts. Space station alerts are email messages that get sent to your inbox from HQ-spotthestation@mail.nasa.gov. My husband actually has these alerts sent to his phone with a beep. So, each time his phone beeps, he knows that there is an upcoming visit from the space station. So cool. He's been doing this for two years now.
For our southeastern location in North Carolina, space station alert are more frequent throughout the summer time. Each alert email shows the coordinates based on your location. Here is an example of an email alert sent from the space station.
Here's an example of an email alert.
Image: Email alert from Nasa.gov
It gives you plenty of information for viewing the space station. I love that it tells you the exact time and duration that you can spot the space station! Notice that it also gives you compass directions and latitudes to help guide your viewing through a telescope.
How to use the email alerts
Once you receive an alert, ask yourself the question "how can I view this from my location?" Your email will tell you - 1) where in the sky the space station will appear and 2) what direction it is going and disappear. So, you will need to figure out arrival/departure in terms of basic geographical directions: N(orth), S(outh), E(ast), W(est). We determine this with a compass and by knowing that the general direction of our viewing area is in the SouthEast (SE) direction from the compass reading.
You should realize that not every space station "trip" will not be viewable from your particular field of view. In other words, you may not be able to see it from a window so going outside would help to see it every time from looking overhead.
What does it look like
So, what does the space station look like when you view it? It looks like an airplane but does not have flashing lights. Instead, the space station looks like a singular light moving across the sky at a constant speed. When you think of the space station, think of a plane with a bright light that does not blink. The color of the light is whitish with a little yellow tinge. You won't miss it because it will be the brightest object in the sky at the time. The light will move brilliantly at a constant speed across the night sky. The light from the space station kind of reminds you of planet Venus in the early morning sky. I liken it to a "bright light sailing overhead".
References
Garcia, Mark, "About the Space Station: Facts and Figures". NASA. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
Spot the Station Alerts, http://spotthestation.nasa.gov. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
