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The space station will be seen just after 6pm today. Alamy Stock Photo

The International Space Station will fly across Irish skies tonight

Observers can catch a glimpse of the station until 5 December.

THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE Station (ISS), the global space project currently the home to six astronauts, will be seen flying across the Irish sky tonight.

A “star-like object” will be seen blaze across the sky around 6.06pm this evening the space enthusiast magazine and non-profit group Astronomy Ireland said.

The ISS, which will appear as an extremely bright star, will be seen slowly flying across the sky until 5 December.

“It is an incredible sight to see the International Space Station blazing across Irish skies so we are urging everyone in Ireland to go out and watch this amazing spectacle,” David Moore, Editor of Astronomy Ireland magazine said.

Moore added that the ISS is “ten to 100 times” brighter than the brightest star in the sky, meaning it can be seen easily with the naked eye.

Astronomy Ireland will use their social media pages to inform the public when it is best to see the ISS in the sky before sunset, but it should be visible every evening.

The ISS travels at 28,000km/hour and is 400 kilometres above the ground.

It orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, meaning that it goes round the Earth 16 times a day.

The project involves space agencies NASA from the United States, Roscosmos from Russia, JAXA in Japan, the ESA from Europe and Canada’s CSA.

The ISS acts as a space laboratory and carries out experiments that can only be done in weightlessness.

Astronomy Ireland said an examples of these experiments can be developing new drugs and exotic high technology materials.

The first module was launched in 1998 and the space station has been manned continuously since 2000, usually by crews of 6 astronauts who do tours of duty 6 months long.

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39 Comments
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    Mute Willie Marty
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    Nov 30th 2023, 8:28 AM

    Russians and Americans working together in space.If only they would cooperate on Earth.

    170
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    Mute Wombleman
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    Nov 30th 2023, 8:12 AM

    It must be stopped. Everyone knows that it’s full of unvetted astronauts of fighting age, our space is full, close the skies…

    154
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    Mute KTH
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    Nov 30th 2023, 8:31 AM

    @Wombleman:
    I heard one of these unvetted astronauts put their passport in a tool bag and “lost it” in space a few weeks ago!

    101
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    Mute Patrick Presley
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    Nov 30th 2023, 9:02 AM

    @KTH: We have enough spacers here already.

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    Mute David craddock
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    Nov 30th 2023, 11:08 AM

    @Wombleman: absolute clown

    19
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    Mute uUleRhCu
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    Nov 30th 2023, 11:40 AM

    @David craddock: No,you are most likely the clown.I’m sure you are shouting the things he’s talking about.

    19
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    Mute Jon Smith
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    Nov 30th 2023, 12:09 PM

    @Wombleman: People against Profit are complaining that they weren’t given enough notice to organise a protest!

    16
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    Mute Sean O'Dhubhghaill
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    Nov 30th 2023, 8:33 AM

    It was fantastically clear on Tuesday night. Travelling W to E almost directly overhead in a perfectly clear sky. Visible for about 3 or 4 minutes.

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    Mute Gerry Ryan
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    Nov 30th 2023, 8:48 AM

    Pity they don’t include info for the amateur like what direction does it fly. At 6.06pm if you don’t know which direction to look it could be a complete waste of time.

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    Mute Jonathan Morgan
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    Nov 30th 2023, 8:55 AM

    @Gerry Ryan: With a clear sky you can see the obviously bright moving light.
    It usually appears above the western horizon, and goes overhead/slightly south towards the East.
    Visible tonight at 6.02-6.07pm and then again at 7.39-7.40pm.

    6pm pass will be higher, brighter and longer.

    2 more passes on Friday night at 5.14pm and 6.51pm.

    131
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    Mute Spanner
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    Nov 30th 2023, 9:18 AM

    @Gerry Ryan: look at heavens-above.com/ it has a page dedicated to ISS year round plus the option to select your location for best viewing times.

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    Mute Spanner
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    Nov 30th 2023, 9:23 AM

    @Spanner: dont forget to add the https:// the journal dosent allow new accounts to post complete links. It has info for other events also

    11
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    Mute Spanner
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    Nov 30th 2023, 10:02 AM

    @Spanner: I would add go out a little early to let your eyes adjust to the dark, wrap up warmly and learn the compass points, a skill lost with google maps and gps.

    22
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    Mute This is typical of a failed TD. Why would they be
    Favourite This is typical of a failed TD. Why would they be
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    Nov 30th 2023, 10:20 AM

    @Jonathan Morgan: Thank you for this information.

    20
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    Mute Denis Rathsallagh Brady
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    Nov 30th 2023, 10:22 AM

    @Jonathan Morgan: Good man Jonathan, thats the info we really need.
    Slainte

    23
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    Mute F Fitzgerald
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    Nov 30th 2023, 1:11 PM

    @Gerry Ryan: Thank you for that! Maybe they’ll add links later on?
    (I thought I saw it one night last month but when I got the binoculars out it was only a Garda helicopter:-D.

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    Mute john kenny
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    Nov 30th 2023, 1:58 PM

    @Jonathan Morgan: thanks for that

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    Mute Brian O'Dwyer
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    Nov 30th 2023, 9:52 AM

    I’d love to hear a flat earther try and explain the flight path of the ISS.

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    Mute Benny Colreavy
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    Nov 30th 2023, 12:27 PM

    @Brian O’Dwyer: If the earth was flat, cats would have pushed everything over the edge by now.

    51
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    Mute Brian O'Dwyer
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    Nov 30th 2023, 6:16 PM

    @Benny Colreavy: That made me laugh. Thanks

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    Mute Steve O'Hara Smith.
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    Nov 30th 2023, 6:43 PM

    @Benny Colreavy: I’m saving that for my next flat earther.

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    Mute Luka Roche
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    Nov 30th 2023, 8:44 AM

    I’d like to know something so, Surely the International Space Station saw the Malaysian plane MH370 that vanished in 2014. Just wondering would it know where it could have sadly disappeared to?

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    Mute Jonathan Morgan
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    Nov 30th 2023, 8:51 AM

    @Luka Roche: The ISS isnt tracking every airliner in the World, and it is moving so fast that it doesnt stay over 1 area for very long.

    72
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    Mute Denis Rathsallagh Brady
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    Nov 30th 2023, 10:26 AM

    @Luka Roche: How in the name of money (my god) did 12 people give this a thumbs up?
    Do they seriously think the ISS can see every plane in the World?

    Unless im totally wrong and Luka’s post was sarcasm but it sure dont read like it so….

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    Mute F Fitzgerald
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    Nov 30th 2023, 1:06 PM

    @Denis Rathsallagh Brady: Maybe he could go online and ask if anyone was watching Flight Radar & took a few screenshots at the time.
    Zoom in on them, problem solved, and whoever posts it up probably has a good alibi.

    4
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    Mute Spanner
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    Nov 30th 2023, 10:07 AM

    Its a spectacular sight. I was lucky enough to see the “space chase” of the ISS and space shuttle orbiting over Ireland at the same time many years ago

    26
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    Mute Garreth Byrne
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    Nov 30th 2023, 9:47 AM

    As the space station passes over our emerald isle, will the crew up there give us a friendly beep-beep, blink-blink, honk-honk or wink-wink?

    20
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    Mute Denis Rathsallagh Brady
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    Nov 30th 2023, 10:20 AM

    @Garreth Byrne: Wink wink?
    What you up to Garreth lol.

    16
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    Mute F Fitzgerald
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    Nov 30th 2023, 1:02 PM

    @Garreth Byrne: If you follow any of them on TwiXer, they usually do post amazing aerial views when time allows. They tend to keep busy though, but I’d hope for a few good ones of Ireland. Pity about these storm clouds currently shadowing Dublin but with any luck they’ll take some of the whole country this afternoon:-)

    6
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    Mute Max
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    Nov 30th 2023, 10:29 AM

    “It is an incredible sight to see the International Space Station blazing across Irish skies”

    Why, has it caught fire?

    19
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    Mute Jonathan Hanlon
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    Nov 30th 2023, 8:09 AM

    Day for the tinfoil hat

    19
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    Mute honey badger
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    Nov 30th 2023, 12:13 PM

    Never mind this. If its clear tomorrow night we could be in for a serious aurora display folks!

    A little dot flying across the firmament, or huge ribbons of green yellow and red imperceptibly undulating above the northern horizon?

    10
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    Mute KTH
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    Nov 30th 2023, 12:54 PM

    @honey badger:
    So it’s a binary choice, is it?

    15
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    Mute F Fitzgerald
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    Nov 30th 2023, 1:07 PM

    @honey badger: Ha, that’s how The Day of the Triffids started, you won’t catch me using both eyes for that display ;-D

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    Mute honey badger
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    Nov 30th 2023, 1:10 PM

    @KTH: No, it’s more a spectrum of choice, appropriately enough!

    4
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    Mute Steve O'Hara Smith.
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    Nov 30th 2023, 6:41 PM

    @honey badger: Both of course.

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    Mute Padraig O'Brien
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    Nov 30th 2023, 8:57 AM

    It has not been vetted so we should shoot it down

    15
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    Mute Spanner
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    Nov 30th 2023, 10:11 AM

    @Padraig O’Brien: not to worry, they can’t land in George Best airport and get a taxi to Dublin

    24
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    Mute Steve O'Hara Smith.
    Favourite Steve O'Hara Smith.
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    Nov 30th 2023, 6:33 PM

    Right on schedule, bright and clear.

    4
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