Nasa’s new interactive map shows exactly when and where you can see the International Space Station overhead
Online tool give minute-by-minute guide to when you can get a glimpse of astronauts zooming overhead at 17,500mph
LOOK up at the right time and you might catch a glimpse of some astronauts zooming overhead on the International Space Station.
And now thanks to Nasa's new interactive map, you know exactly where to look and when.
The space agency's Spot the Station tool to help stargazers get a minute-by-minute guide to the best sighting opportunities for each pinned location on the world map.
The ISS is visible across from almost everywhere at some point as it circles the globe 15 times a day at 17,500mph.
After dark it is the third brightest object in the sky and easily visible with the naked eye as the sun glints off the probe orbiting at an average of 240 miles above the surface.
According to Nasa the best times to see it are just before dawn and after dusk as it flies past low over the horizon.
When it goes into the Earth's shadow it is more or less invisible from the ground so you have to know where it will be to stand a good chance.
Nasa's map solves that as it provides a list of the what times the ISS can be seen from thousands of locations across the world.
It gives the exact minute it will appear and give the direction and angle above the horizon.
It also tells you how long it will be in the sky for - in England it is usually between one and four minutes before it vanishes from view.
Armed with this guide, all you have to do is go outside, let your eyes adjust to the dark and look to the correct part of the sky.
In London for instance, Nasa says the ISS was visible at 5.34am this morning.
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Tomorrow, Saturday November 5, it will appear at 4.44am, 14 degrees above the horizon in the South-Southeast, and will stay low before disappearing two minutes later in the East-Southeast.
An even better chance comes at 6.18am tomorrow when it will be visible for four minutes and reach much higher in the sky.
The ISS will come into view in the West-Southwest direction, around 10 degrees above the horizon, and will reach 57 degrees up in the sky before vanishing in the East-SouthEast.
There are many more chances every week, if clouds do not get in the way.
Astronomers say it is easy to spot the ISS - look out for a very bright object that looks like a star or a plane moving from West to East.
Unlike a plane it does not have flashing lights and does not change direction.
Nasa says: "Several times a week, Mission Control at Nasa’s Johnson Space Center in Houston determines sighting opportunities for over 6,700 locations worldwide.
"If your specific city or town isn’t listed, pick one that is fairly close to you. The space station is visible for a long distance around each of the listed locations."
To see the viewing times near you go to .
You can also track where the ISS is right now by going to the .
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