THE International Space Station (ISS) is in the evening sky again, and we have some very bright passes to look forward to as Christmas approaches. As an added bonus, the ISS will appear to drift past dazzlingly-bright Venus on some evenings, making it look even more spectacular than usual.
If you want to see the ISS you need to wrap up warm then go out at the following times, on the dates given, look to the west and wait a couple of minutes. Eventually you'll see a bright star rising up from beyond the horizon - that's the space station.
December 11: 17.37 and 19.14; December 12: 16.45 and 18.22; December 13: 17.30 and 19.06; December 14: 16.38 and 18.14; December 15: 17.22 and 18.59; December 16: 16.30 and 18.07; December 17: 17.15.
As soon as it gets dark you'll see a really bright star shining above the south western horizon, staying perfectly. That is the planet Venus, don't mistake it for the space station. If in doubt at all, remember the space station will be moving across the sky from west to east (right to left as you look at the sky) and Venus will stand still.
Stuart Atkinson
Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal
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