Some lucky locals took advantage of crystal clear skies to view the International Space Station (ISS) as it passed over Metro Vancouver.
A stretch of clear, cloudless days over the weekend provided ideal conditions to view the Earth-orbiting laboratory on Sunday, March 17.
Metro Vancouver-based weather enthusiast Ryan Voutilainen was out with his partner, niece and nephew to view the ISS passing overhead.
Voutilainen shared a video of the space station on X (formerly Twitter), joking that his posse "made sure to wave" even though the ISS was "moving at 28,000km/h."
While he had seen the ISS before, it was the first time he had been able to share the experience with his niece and nephew.
"I thought it was a great opportunity to pique their interest in something 'cool,' reminding them that that little light speck moving way above the earth at people on board conducting science while orbiting at 28000km/h," he told V.I.A.
Of course, the kids thought it was pretty cool and [they were] excited as they wouldn't have known to look unless it was for Uncle Ryan," he added.
"Or [they] may have just assumed it was a plane or shooting star."
When will the International Space Station (ISS) pass over Metro Vancouver?
NASA has a user-friendly tool that shows when the ISS will be viewable almost anywhere in the world. It also indicates how long the ISS will be visible and where in the sky to look.
Locals can also find out when the ISS will be visible using an online planetarium in the Stellarium app.
According to NASA, the station is visible to the naked eye and looks like a "fast-moving plane only much higher and travelling thousands of miles an hour faster." It is also the third-brightest object in the sky, which makes spotting it less difficult.
Like the moon, the space station is visible because it reflects the light of the Sun.
The football field-sized space station serves as a testing facility for technologies and supports NASA’s mission to push human presence farther into space.
Viewing opportunities are best on clear nights when the Metro Vancouver weather forecast isn't calling for rain or heavy cloud coverage.
Stay up-to-date with hyperlocal forecasts across 50 neighbourhoods in the Lower Mainland with V.I.A.'s Weatherhood.
