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Leeds Live
Leeds Live
National
Kristian Johnson

People saw 'strange lights' in the Leeds sky last night - this is probably what it was

Eagle-eyed star gazers managed to catch a glimpse of something rather special last night.

Did you see it? Well, what you were actually witnessing was the International Space Station (ISS) zipping through the clear skies above Yorkshire.

The giant space station, which is roughly the size of a football pitch, flies around the earth at speeds of up to 17,500 mph - but if the conditions are right then you might just be able to see it.

Sunday night proved just right for people who looked into space.

Blink and you'll miss it though, because the ISS was only visible for a few minutes before disappearing again.

According to NASA, the space station was on show for around four minutes at 8.44pm on Sunday, March 29 before appearing again for less than a minute at 10.19pm.

James Day captured this image of the International Space Station in the clear skies above Leeds (James Day)

It is always orbiting the earth, but the conditions need to be just right to be able to spot it and Sunday night's weather provided the perfect opportunity to see it not once, but twice.

Sometimes you can barely see the ISS, but on other occasion - such as last night - a bright streak of light can be seen flying across the sky.

The clearest viewing opportunities usually come at night, when the sky is darker and the station is often positioned higher in the sky.

To see when it next passing over Leeds, visit NASA’s Spot The Station website.

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