• Source:JND
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In the early hours of July 8, India’s pre-dawn sky turned into a cosmic stage as the International Space Station (ISS), carrying Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, glided silently above the country. A stunning video filmed has now gone viral, capturing the bright, fast-moving dot that connects India directly to space. The ISS was spotted at exactly 5:42 AM IST, when the ISS, at an altitude of around 400 kilometres above Earth, became visible as sunlight reflected off its huge solar panels. Moving at a scorching pace of 28,000 km per hour, the ISS takes a complete 90 minutes to orbit the Earth, granting the astronauts on board 16 sunrises and sunsets each day.

Group Captain S. Shukla, an Indian Air Force pilot and now an astronaut, has sent out a warm invitation to all Indians to track his mission. Though the astronaut himself is not in sight from the ground, the ISS, his second home, will resolutely be passing over India in the next few days, offering skygazers numerous chances to say hello to the orbiting lab. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called Shukla last week, underlining the pride of 140 crore Indians who, as the PM joked, "have each invested around Rs 4" to witness India's cosmic leap.

When And Where To Spot The ISS Over India

The ISS glows in the sky, looking like a rapidly moving star, but one that doesn't have any blinking lights like an airplane. The prime time to catch it is just before sunrise or just after sunset, when the station is illuminated by the sun but the sky is dark enough for it to be seen in bold relief. Sky watchers can download NASA's "Spot the Station" app or the ISS Detector app to get accurate sighting times depending on their location. These apps provide push notifications for future flyovers, offer live tracking, and even provide augmented reality with the ability to locate the station overhead.

Here’s when you can see the ISS over Indian skies:

• July 9: 4:10 AM - 4:16 AM and 8:48 PM - 8:53 PM
• July 10: 3:22 AM – 3:27 AM, 4:58 AM - 5:04 AM, 4:58 AM - 5:04 AM, 4:58 AM – 5:04 AM, and 7:59 PM – 8:05 PM
• July 11: 2:34 AM – 2:36 AM, and 4:09 AM – 4:15 AM
• July 12: 7:59 PM – 8:03 PM

Key Tips For A Perfect ISS Sighting

• Pick The Right Time: Dawn or dusk is ideal for clear sight.
• Check the Apps: Utilize tracking apps to get exact timings and directions.
• Find Clear Skies: Go to open areas away from city lights and skyscrapers.
• Be Quick: ISS travels quickly, covering the sky in 5 to 7 minutes.
• Wave Hello: You may just be able to spot Shubhanshu Shukla looking down from the historic Cupola module.

If clouds spoil your first try, don't worry, the ISS will appear again on several days this month. Those who find this window missed can anticipate a second bout of sightings between July 24 and August 1, though by that time, Captain Shukla will be back on Earth.

Since its commissioning in 1998, the International Space Station has traveled around Earth over 130,000 times, welcoming astronauts from more than 23 nations and conducting over 4,400 scientific experiments. The ISS is operated by the space agencies of the US, Russia, Japan, Canada, and Europe, and India's presence on board is now a source of pride. From the darkness of space, Shukla posted his breathtaking perspective: "From here, you don't see borders. The Earth looks united. Bharat looks grand," reverberating astronaut Rakesh Sharma's mythic words in 1984, "Sare jahan se achha."