The International Space Station will offer just one really good chance for spotting it as it orbits Earth this week, and that chance comes for 3 minutes starting at 9:41 p.m. Monday, August 3.

NASA projects that, depending upon sky conditions, the ISS will appear at 68 degrees above northeast its maximum height in the sky for the sighting - and then disappear at 12 degrees above east-southeast.

NASA explains, The horizon is at zero degrees, and directly overhead is 90 degrees. If you hold your fist at arms length and place your fist resting on the horizon, the top will be about 10 degrees. Each additional fist-depth above the horizon is roughly another 10 degrees of elevation.

NASA doesnt issue one of its Spot the Station alerts for anything less than 40 degrees, and the space station is not expected to meet or top that point again this week.

According to NASA, the space station looks like an airplane or a very bright star moving across the sky, except it doesnt have flashing lights or change direction. It will also be moving considerably faster than a typical airplane (airplanes generally fly at about 600 miles per hour; the space station flies at 17,500 miles per hour).

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Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.

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Tonight offers best chance of spotting space station in night sky - pennlive.com