Spot the ISS: NASA Offers App to Help People See the Station from Earth

The International Space Station is often visible from anywhere on Earth and astronomers and space enthusiasts alike can easily watch it pass by their location. NASA made it easier to spot the station using an service called "Spot the Station" program.

Aside from asteroids, planets and stars, the ISS also add to the bright flying objects in the sky. NASA invites everyone to sign up with the Spot the Station service to be able to receive alerts when the ISS will pass a specific location.

Not everyone knows that the ISS is often visible to the naked eye anywhere in the world. It can easily be confused with a shooting star or a meteor as it somehow mimics the movement of a shooting star or a meteor at first sight. But the ISS is extremely bright making it easier to spot, even in the bright city sky.

With NASA's Spot the Station program, anyone can subscribe to receive alerts. This will prompt the user when the ISS is visible from their location.

Several options are available for those who want to avail of the service. Users can choose between email and text notifications. Once a member signed up, they can expect to receive alerts several times a month, according to a report by Earthsky.Org.

The ISS orbits the earth once every 90 minutes, this means that in a span of 24 hours the ISS orbits the Earth for 16 times, according to a report by NASA. This gives ISS crew ample time to take fascinating photos of the globe a seen from space 24/7. This is how astronauts take photos of different countries to post on their personal Twitter handles.

Sunlight reflecting the stunning colours of this Himalayan lake https://t.co/oQpuhc1SpZ pic.twitter.com/wl0lLudNeB
— Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) June 12, 2016

A closer look at Montreal Canada.https://t.co/RMpoeDDT9o
— Jeff Williams (@Astro_Jeff) June 7, 2016

66 million years ago a 14km wide asteroid hit this part of #Mexico & wiped out the dinosaurs @AsteroidDay #Chicxulub pic.twitter.com/nm0dh3eODA
— Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) May 9, 2016

To sign up for the service, interested parties can visit NASA's Spot the Station website. From there, the users can enter their location and wait for the notifications to arrive.

NASA also offers tips on how to properly view the ISS. The orbit usually occurs a few hours before or after sunrise and sunset. During these times, it is most conducive to watch the ISS from the sky since the floating science lab will deflect the glow of the sun.