Next week will be a particularly good one for fans of the International Space Station. A high northern sun at this time of year and favorable orbital mechanics place the station in direct sunlight for nearly every nighttime pass over Maryland.

That means several good opportunities - if skies are clear - for observers on the ground to watch $100 billion Tinkertoy in the sky as it flies over Baltimore with its three crewmembers.

Most of the flybys will be too close to the horizon, or too dim for easy viewing. But there are several passes that will be both high overhead and very bright. And a couple of those will be at convenient hours of the evening.

Here are the best of the bunch:

Monday evening, June 4: Look for the ISS to rise above the southwest horizon at 10:05 p.m. It will fly northeastward up the East Coast, arriving nearly overhead at 10:078p.m. It will fly right through the handle of the Big Dipper before zipping off toward the northeast horizon, disappearing there at about 10:11 p.m.

Tuesday morning, June 5: The ISS will appear above the northwest horizon this time, headed south and east toward the Atlantic. Watch for it to appear above the northwest horizon at 4:28 a.m. (I know, that's way early). It will be straight up over Baltimore at at 4:31 a.m., and hustle off toward the southeast, disappearing there at about 4:34 a.m. 

Wednesday evening, June 6: Another run up the East Coast. This time the station will appear in the southwest at 9:12 p.m., early enough for the kids to watch it. It will fly almost directly over Baltimore at 9:15 p.m., and then move off toward the northeast, disappearing there at 9:17 p.m.

Thursday morning, June 7: Another good pass, but VERY early. Look for the ISS above the northwest horizon at 3:35 a.m. It will very high overhead, flying past Cygnus, The Swan, at 3:37 a.m. Then it will fly off toward the northeast and vanish there at about 3:40 a.m.

Remember, no special equipment is needed. The station is moving too fast for a telescope, or even binoculars to be much help. Look for a steady white, or perhaps a faintly amber light (the color of its solar panels), moving at a good clip. It's actually flying at 17,500 mph, circling the planet once every 90 minutes or so. But at an altitude of more than 220 miles, it looks no speedier than a very fast jetliner. 

For more on the ISS, click here. For more on the crew, click here.