Earlier this week, the International Space Station celebrated its 12th year of continuous occupation, and NASA introduced a new way to find it in the sky. Spot the Station offers email or SMS alerts for over 4,600 locations worldwide, based on calculations performed by the Johnson Space Center. When signing up for alerts, you’ll have a chance to specify morning or evening sightings; after that, you’ll receive an email detailing the time the ISS will be visible, from what direction it’ll first appear, and how long it will stay in your part of the night sky. The Station, NASA says, is a “fast moving point of light, similar in size and brightness to the planet Venus,” meaning it’s visible to the naked eye. If you’re looking for a list of sightings or help interpreting the instructions, NASA already offers a full list of locations here.
NASA’s Spot the Station sends texts or emails when the ISS is visible
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
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