People ask this every week. It's bright, it moves in a straight line, and it doesn't blink — so your brain files it under "airplane." But it's not a plane. It's a football field falling around the earth.

Bright, steady, silent

Planes blink. The ISS doesn't — it's lit by reflected sunlight, not navigation strobes, so it's a steady white point. And it's fast: a full horizon-to-horizon pass takes about six minutes.

Why it's so bright

The station is the size of a football field and the most reflective thing we've ever put in orbit. On a good pass it reaches magnitude -4 — brighter than Venus, and visible even from a city.