The content on this page is retained only for recordkeeping, historical reference, or research. These materials are preserved in their original form and may not meet current WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards.

These archived materials are not required to be remediated. However, we remain committed to equitable access. If you need an accessible version of any archived item to participate in our current programs and services, we will provide one when feasible upon request at caesweb@uga.edu.

If you like to watch interesting things flying by overhead, you might be interested in looking for the International Space Station.  When it’s zooming past your area, it’s usually the third brightest object in the sky.  But how do you know when to look?  You can sign up for notifications for when the ISS is passing over your location at https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/.

Obviously, you won’t be able to see it every time it passes because sometimes it is blocked by clouds and sometimes the transit is too low or fast to catch.  Since the skies in Athens are clear tonight, I’ll be outside at 10:49 pm looking up to see the ISS pass overhead.

Here are a few pictures I found of the ISS passage from the Earth’s surface on Commons Wikimedia:

Source: Thomas Bresson /Commons Wikimedia
Source: Thomas Bresson  /Commons Wikimedia

See the original at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2011-08-13_22-31-35-moonlight.jpg for a better view of the ISS trail.

Source: Andreas Möller /Commons Wikimedia
Source: Andreas Möller /Commons Wikimedia
International Space Station seen through a telescope.  Source: NASA /Commons Wikimedia
International Space Station seen through a telescope to lower right of the Moon. Source: NASA /Commons Wikimedia