Space station to be visible from Houston

If you're the kind of person who walks around looking at the sky — no, we don't want to know why you do that — you just might see something this week: the International Space Station will be visible from Houston in the coming days.

The ISS is passing 220 miles over Houston and will be visible with the naked eye just after dusk or just before dawn, when the sun is below the horizon and reflects off the space station. As long as it's clear, you should have no problem seeing the ISS.

It'll be visible in the early morning tomorrow, Thursday and Friday. On Christmas Day, Sunday and Monday, you'll be able to see the ISS shortly after sunset. Tomorrow night's the best bet, though: The station will be visible to Houstonians for two minutes beginning at 6:02 a.m. — you can find it about 44 degrees above the west-northwest horizon, or about halfway between the horizon and directly overhead. It'll look like a fast airplane or a moving star.

And parents, take note: You can use the $100 billion piece of international engineering to fool your kids!

Parents wishing to have a little fun with younger children could always suggest it's a visitor of another sort — Santa Claus, heading home.

Those rascals at the Chronicle, always finding ways to mess with the young'uns minds. We prefer to tell them it's a UFO coming to beam them home. Hey, kids, the truth hurts,