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Earth and the Moon

Viewing Non-Stellarnight Sky Objects

Can I see human-built spacecraft in the night sky?

Yes, spacecraft orbiting Earth such as the International Space Station are occasionally visible to the unaided eye. These satellites emit almost no light of their own, so they can be seen only when sunlight is reflected off them toward the ground, and then only for a few minutes or seconds at a time. They look like bright dots moving quickly across the sky.



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