During the past weekend, a large number of people have observed an interesting light across the sky in the UK. Some reports have described a series of stars that moved in unison across a straight line. The number of stars varied from twenty to more than thirty, and many of the people who observed the unusual spectacle decided to share images across social media.
While it would have been easy to believe that the unusual event was an unexpected meteor shower or a series of new stars, it was caused by the International Space Station and the way in which the massive spacecraft reflects the light released by the sun.
The International Space Station completes a full orbit around our planet every 90 minutes, but in most cases, it does not tend to be quite visible, appearing as a small dot. Those who lived in the UK and didn’t have the chance to spot it will have the opportunity to observe it again until Saturday on April 4. It should be visible from 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm.
Mysterious Light In The Sky
While the ISS has been the house of many astronauts for a long time, space tourists will have the opportunity to reach it from 2021. Axiom, a newly-founded space tourism company, has signed a deal with SpaceX to secure transportation to and from the ISS with the help of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon Rockets.
According to current plans, up to three VIP passengers and one commander will board Crew Dragon capsules and travel to the ISS, where they will have the option to spend up to 10 days aboard the International Space Station.
During this time, they will experience the microgravity environment present aboard the station and look at the Earth. The service will be quite exclusive as only two flights per year will be available until the ISS is expanded with new housing modules.