ISS

The International Space Station, or ISS, has been floating around above the Earth since 1998, and this week is a particularly good time to look up and catch it as it flies over the Rockford area multiple times.

Crew commander Mike Hopkins, 51, is an Air Force colonel and former space station resident who grew up on a hog and cattle farm in Missouri. He played football for the University of Illinois and, before becoming an astronaut in 2009, worked at the Pentagon.

When something shows up in the sky once every 7000 years or so, it's worth heading outside for a look. And, unlike most celestial events, this one has an extended viewing window.