To see a satellite, it must fly over head at either dawn or dusk - when it is dark enough for us to see them, but when sunlight can still shine onto the satellite (for instance, if a satellite flies over-head at midnight, it is in the shadow of the Earth for the entire flyby).
Sometimes, a particular satellite will fly over-head at midday when the daylight is too bright; sometimes it might fly over at midnight when it cannot reflect sunlight.
You might have seen satellites flying over-head yourself and just not realised what you are looking at. The rule of thumb is - if it is flashing, it is an aircraft, but if it is at a steady brightness, then you are looking at a satellite!
For the next week, the International Space Station is ideally placed to be seen flying directly over the UK! The approximate dates and times are listed below...
| Date | Time, direction (and altitude) of... | ||
| Appearance | Highest point | Disappearance | |
| 8 March | 19:26 West (10°) | 19:29 South (73°) | 19:30 East (52°) |
| 9 March | 18:16 South-West (10°) | 18:19 South (42°) | 18:22 East (10°) |
| 9 March | 19:51 West (10°) | 19:54 West (70°) | 19:54 West (70°) |
| 10 March | 18:41 West (10°) | 18:44 South (75°) | 18:46 East (13°) |
| 11 March | 19:06 West (10°) | 19:09 North (85°) | 19:11 East (23°) |
| 12 March | 19:31 West (10°) | 19:34 North-West (89°) | 19:34 East (47°) |
| 13 March | 18:20 West (10°) | 18:23 North (85°) | 18:26 East (10°) |
| 13 March | 19:55 West (10°) | 19:58 South-West (61°) | 19:58 South-West (61°) |
| 14 March | 18:45 West (10°) | 18:48 South (89°) | 18:51 East (12°) |
| 15 March | 19:10 West (10°) | 19:13 South (61°) | 19:15 East (20°) |
| 16 March | 19:35 West (10°) | 19:37 South (32°) | 19:39 South (24°) |
| 17 March | 18:24 West (10°) | 18:27 South (59°) | 18:30 east (10°) |
For other times and locations, see the SpaceWeather flyby predictor.
Thanks Darren - saw it, through a gap in the clouds!
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