By eye, the ISS looks like a star but even a small telescope can show the solar panels and other structures. The ISS is one of the brighter satellites and can often be brighter than any star. However, during twilight they are usually really easy to see.ĭepending on their orbit a satellite might be visible for maybe ten minutes as it moves across the sky. Because they so close to the Earth during the night you can’t easily see them as they are shielded from the Sun’s light by the Earth (ie they are in the shadow of the Earth).

Most satellites are actually orbiting the Earth just a few hundred kilometers above the ground. One of the best is called Heavens-Above which once you have set your location on the Earth, can tell you which satellites are visible.

Fortunately, there’s plenty of websites that can give you this information. You might be surprised to hear that you can see many satellites with just your eyes - but you have to know when and where to look. The UK Government even considers the risk of disruption of the satellite system significant and has put in place a number of studies to mitigate this risk. While the ISS is usually used for science and research, most satellites are used for commercial purposes such as TV or other communications and have become vital to our way of life. Since its launch in 1998 it has been continuously crewed. The best known example is the International Space Station (ISS) which was built on the ground and assembled in space – thanks to the efforts of 15 countries. Over the last 60 years humans have been launching satellites into space. Our planet is also orbited by spacecraft that you can spot – if you know where and when, explains Professor Don Pollacco, the science coordinator for the upcoming space telescope PLATO. It’s not just stars, planets and meteors that fill our night sky.

Seeing iss from earth