The third brightest object in the sky

In December, the first British European Space Agency Astronaut, Tim Peake, will be heading to the International Space Station on the five-month-long Principia mission. Along with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and Nasa astronaut Tim Kopra, he will launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to join the international team on board humanity's outpost in space. Three of the currently-serving crew will transfer back to Earth as the new members take up their duties, maintaining the station's permanent staff of six.

It's hard not to envy the experiences Tim is about to have, but happily we can keep an eye on him from here on Earth. The ISS appears to us as a fast-moving star (it is moving at almost 28,000 km/hr), but your own position coupled with the station's orbit determines where and when to look for it. Nasa has created a user-friendly Spot The Station service to help do just that, with automated notifications for upcoming opportunities, and clear instructions that beginner astronomers will find useful.