Some real great star gazing is possible over the next week or so with a real good chance to see the International Space Station and Space Shuttle.  There is a small chance to see a shooting star.

One of the things I love to do when there is a meteor shower is to get the binoculars and sit out in the backyard with all the lights off and focus on the stars. The binoculars are a great substitute for a telescope and they never disappoint revealing so many stars that escape the naked eye.

Typically I'll do this in August when the Perseid meteor shower appears. It's warmer than getting out to look for meteors in November when the Leonid meteor shower darts the night sky. You can still brave the cold and catch a few meteors up until Nov. 20 but the peak was Nov.17.

But over the next couple of weeks at specific times there will be a vivid light that stands out of the night sky. And for me this trumps standing in the cold to view meteors.  It's the International Space Station with the Space Shuttle docked to it.  Typically it makes very brief appearances on the horizon but you can catch 3-4 minute windows where it can be seen moving across the sky.

Here are some viewing times for Boise, Idaho from the NASA website.

The shuttle will be moving from the NW horizon towards the NE horizon with the dates below.

Wednesday Nov. 17  6:20 PM MST - 6:23 PM MST

Thursday Nov 19 06:43 PM MST - 6:45 PM MST

Friday Nov 20 07:05 PM MST - 7:06 PM MST

Saturday Nov 21 05:52 PM MST - 5:56 PM MST

Sunday  Nov 22 06:14 PM MST - 6:18 PM MST

Monday Nov 23 06:36 PM MST - 6:39 PM MST

The shuttle will move from the WNW horizon overhead to the SSW horizon Tuesday.

Tuesday Nov 24 06:59 PM MST - 7:01 PM MST

The shuttle will move from the NW horizon to the ESE horizon Wednesday.

Wednesday Nov 25 05:45 PM MST - 5:49 PM MST

The shuttle will move from the WNW horizon to the SE horizon Thursday.

Thursday  Nov 26 06:07 PM MST - 6:12 PM MST

The shuttle will move from the SW horizon to the S horizon Friday.

Friday  Nov 27 06:32 PM MST - 6:34 PM MST

The shuttle will move from the SSW horizon to the S horizon Sunday.

Sunday  Nov 29 05:42 PM MST - 5:43 PM MST

Of course all of this will depend on the weather and the sky coverage.  Enjoy.