See the International Space Station Above the Hudson Valley This Week

This week you'll have a great opportunity to see the International Space Station flying directly over the Hudson Valley.

The space station is the largest manmade object orbiting around earth that is visible with the naked eye. Its first parts were launched into space back in 1998, and for the past 15 years it has been continually occupied by humans.

Usually the International Space Station is only visible in the very early morning hours, and only for a few brief moments at a time. This week, however, you have an excellent chance of seeing it, as it will be visible for four minutes at a time when many people may already be awake.

On Wednesday, July 13 the station will be making two flights overhead. The first one is at 3:28am for only two minutes. However, the International Space Station will be making a second pass over the Hudson Valley on Wednesday at 5:02am for an entire four minutes.

To see the space station, be outside facing West-Northwest at precisely 5:02am. The station will appear just 10 degrees above the horizon and travel towards the North-Northeast sky at just about 17 degrees before disappearing from view at 5:06am.

According to NASA, the space station will look like an airplane or a very bright star moving across the sky. However, the lights won't be flashing and it will maintain a straight path. It will also be flying much faster than a typical airplane.

As of now the weather forecast is calling for crystal clear skies on Wednesday morning, making it a perfect opportunity to see the space station flying overhead. So, if you happen to be awake at 5am, make sure to head outside and wave hello as the International Space Station flies right over the Hudson Valley.

For other times the space station is visible from your area, you can check out NASA's Spot The Station website.