Spot the space station: a lesson plan for classes and families
A ready-to-use activity: find when the ISS passes over your town, watch it, and record what you see. Works for ages 9 and up; no equipment needed.
What learners will do
- Explain why a satellite looks like a moving star and why it is only visible after sunset or before sunrise.
- Use compass directions and angles above the horizon to describe a position in the sky.
- Record an observation with time, direction and brightness, and compare it with a prediction.
Before the evening
- Open the visible-passes page for your town and pick a pass that climbs above 40°.
- Note its start time, where it appears and where it disappears.
- Print the record sheet below, one per learner or family. A pencil and a phone clock are all you need.
During the pass (about 5 minutes)
- Be outside 5 minutes early, facing the direction where it appears. Stay away from bright lights so your eyes can adjust.
- When it appears, write the time. Follow it across the sky: it does not blink and makes no sound.
- Note where it was highest (use your fist at arm's length: about 10°) and where it disappeared.
- If it fades out before the horizon, note that too: it flew into the Earth's shadow.
Talk about it afterward
- Did it appear at the predicted time and place? How close was the prediction?
- Why can we see it at all, when it has no lights bright enough to see from 400 km? (It reflects sunlight.)
- Why did it vanish in mid-sky? (Earth's shadow: sunset for the space station.)
- It went around Earth in about 90 minutes. How fast is that? (About 28,000 km/h.)
Going further
- Watch two passes on different evenings and compare their paths.
- Look up who is aboard right now on the people-in-space page.
- Try photographing a pass with a long exposure (see the photography guide).
Next naked-eye ISS passes over New York
- Mon, Oct 19 5:09 AM · northeast → northeast · 33°
- Mon, Oct 19 6:42 AM · west → northwest · 13°
- Tue, Oct 20 5:57 AM · northwest → northeast · 22°
- Wed, Oct 21 5:12 AM · north → northeast · 20°
Satellites visible tonight →