The International Space Station — Space Shuttle Atlantis

This week sees several passes of the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The two best opportunities for people in southwest Virginia to view this orbiting duo are on Wednesday and Friday evenings.

Wednesday's pass begins at 6:18 p.m. Look low in the northwest for a slow moving starlike object. As it moves high in the northeast (not quite overhead), it brightens significantly becoming much brighter than the planet Jupiter. (Jupiter is the bright object far in the south.) It passes then through the "W" shaped constellation, Cassiopeia. By 6:21, it moves high in the east where it enters the Earth's shadow and subsequently disappears.

Friday's pass follows a similar path as Wednesday's. Beginning at 5:33 p.m., look low in the northwest, again for a slowly moving starlike object. Follow it high in the northeast as it brightens, again becoming brighter than Jupiter. It disappears from view as it sinks low in the east-southeast at 5:33 p.m.

Such is our view from Earth ...