All eyes have been on the sky for the past few months as lockdown has turned us into a nation of stargazers.

Meteor showers, supermoons and the Starlink satellites have all given us plenty of free celestial entertainment while we've been confined to our homes.

Tonight there's an extra-special reason to look up as Nasa and Elon Musk's company SpaceX launch a manned rocket into space from the US for the first time in nine years.

If you're out watching the historic event, stay up a little later and keep your eyes peeled for the International Space Station too, where the Falcon 9 rocket's astronauts are headed.

The ISS will be visible over Greater Manchester for several nights from tonight, with most passes taking place between 10pm and 11pm.

The space station is currently occupied by an international crew of three people who live and work there while travelling at five miles per second.

The crews living and working space is larger than a six-bedroom house and contains a gym and a 360-degree view bay window.

The International Space Station orbits the Earth every 90 minutes travelling through 16 sunrises and sunsets in the space of 24 hours.

To see it, head outside during the times listed below.

The ISS looks like a fast flying plane or a very bright star moving across the sky - but it doesnt have flashing lights or change direction.

Planes usually fly at approximately 600 miles per hour whereas the space station flies at 17,500 miles per hour.

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When you can see the International Space Station flying over Greater Manchester over the next week - Manchester Evening News