The station flies above our heads constantly, and orbits the planet every 90 minutes at a height of over 250 miles.

It's impossible to see during the day, but at night - and with the space station's orbit passing over Britain just so - it takes on the appearance of a bright star moving across the sky.

It can actually be startling when you first spot it - a glowing orb without the telltale flashes of an aircraft's wing drifting silently through the dark - but the station passes overhead fairly frequently.

It goes through periods when we won't be able to see it for months, as its diagonal orbit crosses other parts of the planet, but every now and then, there comes a space of a few weeks when it flies overhead - and at night.

Times vary ever so slightly depending on your location, but we've used those given by NASA's Spot the Station website for Durham - the closest centre point for the region - to try to give a good average.

Here are the dates and times of when the station will become visible: 

September 29

The first pass will last four minutes at 8.01pm, and the station will appear 24° above West South West and vanish at 18° above South-East.

A second pass will last one minute, visible at 9.37pm, appearing 10° above West South West before slipping into the horizon at 15° above West South West.

September 30

The first pass will last four minutes at 7.14pm, and the station will appear 30° above West South West and vanish at 11° above East South-East.

A second pass will last three minutes, visible at 8.50pm, appearing 13° above West South West before slipping into the horizon at 25° above South South West.

October 1

There are two passes on Thursday, however only one will be visible to the naked eye.

It will happen at 8.03pm, lasting three minutes, appearing at 22° above West South West and vanishing 17° above South South East.

October 2

There will be two sightings, the first at 7.16pm, appearing 27° above West South West and disappearing 10° above East South East.

The second pass will take place at 8.52pm, lasting two minutes, appearing 10° above WSW.

October 3

The first and only sighting will be at 8.05pm, lasting four minutes, appearing at 15° above West South West before slipping away at 11° above South South East.

How do I see it?

You should have no trouble spotting the International Space Station as it drifts overhead - we say 'drift', but it's actually travelling at over 17,000 mph.

The station takes on the appearance of a bright star, and is usually much brighter than anything else in the sky.

Sometimes the station will rise over the horizon; other times it might 'fade' into view in the middle of the night sky as it enters into the sun's light.

It will always appear in the west, and will travel eastwards.

And just as it appears, it may disappear in the same way, growing fainter and fainter until its completely enshrouded by the Earth's shadow.

You'll easily be able to spot it with the naked eye (cloud cover permitting of course), though even modestly priced binoculars may be able to pick out some of the station's details, like its large solar panels.

So take a look up, there's a good chance you'll spot the International Space Station, and it can be amazing to think there are actually people living up there and conducting experiments within the space environment.

The experiments that they carry out would be almost impossible to replicate on earth.