Apparently now is the beginning of a prime period during which we'll be able to best see the International Space Station as it races across the sky. If you haven't ever taken the time to step out and watch the sky to see this before, you should do so - Realizing that there are people up there on that thing is really pretty mind-boggling when you think about what it takes to make something like the space station happen and work.

SPACE.COM: During the next couple of weeks, North Americans will have many opportunities to see the International Space Station, due chiefly to a seasonal circumstance. From now through the beginning of July, nights are shortest and the time that a satellite in a low-Earth-orbit (like the space station) can remain illuminated by the Sun can extend throughout the night, a situation that can never be attained during other times of the year.

You can find out when you can see the station at any of several web sites, including:

• NASA's J-Pass (http://science.nasa.gov/Realtime/JPass/)
• NASA's SkyWatch (http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/)

Here are a few links to SkyWatch data for cities people who know me are likely to be in. If yours is not listed, check out the full city list.

• Portland, Oregon
• Los Alamos, New Mexico
• Farmington, New Mexico
• San Francisco Bay Area, California