Space station will be visible over Berks

If you look up at the night sky at just the right time this week, you may notice something unusual: A dot that appears several times brighter than any stars around it.

But that's no moon - or star or planet for that matter. It's a space station.

The International Space Station will be visible over Berks County several nights this week, according to groups including NASA that predict satellite paths.

Wednesday and Saturday are expected to offer the best viewing opportunities for the space station.

It's not a rare occurrence; the station is usually visible for periods twice a year. But it's something astronomy enthusiasts, like Jeff Woods of Spring Township, look forward to.

"It's fascinating to look up and imagine: That's moving at 17,000 miles per hour, 250 miles above my head holding six people who are going to be up there for months weightless," Woods said. "I didn't follow the exact career path that would have taken me into space, but I can live vicariously through it (seeing the station)."

The space station passes over the area twice a day, Woods said. But it's usually not visible because the sky is too bright during the day and the spacecraft isn't lit up at night.

The only way to see the space station is when it's close enough to the sun to reflect the light but the sun is far enough from the land below it to darken the sky.

That happens when the station passes just before sunrise or just after sunset, like it will this week.

"This is not exclusive to Reading," Woods said. "It's going to be visible all over the Eastern Seaboard. But this one on Saturday is going to be right over us."

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Space station will be visible over Berks