How to spot the space station in the sky

"Whenever the space station cruises overhead, it's generally travelling west to east, the direction of its motion around Earth. However, depending on the specific pass, it could be going northwest to southeast, southwest to east, and so forth. Even though it's zipping along at 8 kilometres per second, you'll see that it takes a few minutes to cross the sky. Look for a bright steady beacon that's gliding along a smooth, stately path – not a quick flash like a meteor."

[via io9]