International Space Station passes over the UK end of January and early February 2021

Spectacle that the whole family can enjoy

The International Space Station will be visible over the UK in the early evening between January 21 and February 7.

Watching the International Space Station fly over is a great way of getting youngsters interested in the night sky. On a clear evening you can point out the spaceship as it flies past star constellations and planets visible to the naked eye.

The ISS always appear from the south west and travels in a straight line to the east. It is usually visible for between three and five minutes. The best thing to do is to wrap up warm and get outside a few minutes before its scheduled appearance, in order to acclimatise your eyes to the night sky, and then watch out for the bright light and wave at the astronauts as they fly over.

Here are the times from Thursday, January 21, and over the weekend. All these passes are classified as bright, so with a clear sky should be easy to spot.

Thursday, January 21, 6.29pm; Friday, January 22, 5.41pm; Saturday, January 23, 6.29pm; Sunday, January 24, 5.41pm.

These times will vary by only a few minutes until February 7, after which the ISS orbit will mean it will not be visible for another month.