macpuzlBy Chuck McPartlin
The International Space Station will be making visible passes through Santa Barbara’s evening skies in July and August, weather permitting. These are just the brightest evening appearances. There are several dim evening and bright predawn passes during this time period which are not listed here, and over the time period being covered its orbit may change, so to get the latest and most complete predictions, visit Heavens Above.
On Monday, July 11, the ISS will make a bright pass starting in the SW at 9:59 PM PDT, passing nearly overhead from Corvus to near bright Spica, between Boötes and Corona Borealis, and through the head of Draco to set in the NE at 10:06 PM.
Tuesday’s pass will also be bright, rising in the SSW at 9:11 PM, in the tail of Hydra, cruising between Scorpius and Libra, along Ophiuchus, and through the Summer Triangle defined by the bright stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair, and setting in the ENE at 9:17 PM.
The ISS will make a low mountain pass on Wednesday, beginning in the W at 9:59 PM in the hindquarters of Leo, passing below the bowl of the Big Dipper, and ending in Cassiopeia in the NNE at 10:05 PM.
On Thursday, it will take a brighter and higher trajectory, starting in the WSW at 9:10 PM, near Denebola, across the Big Dipper, above Polaris, and ending in Cassiopeia at 9:16 PM in the NE.
After a pause, the station will return to our evening skies on Tuesday, July 26, making a two minute skim of our mountains in the NNW starting at 10:39 PM, ending below Polaris in the N.
On Wednesday, it will make a very low, longer mountain pass between 9:50 and 9:53 PM, from the N to the NE.
The station will pop up on Thursday at 10:35 PM in the NW, into the bowl of the Big Dipper, vanishing into our shadow at 10:37 PM.
On Friday, the station will rise at 9:45 PM in the NNW in the foreleg of Ursa Major, and pass below Polaris and between Cepheus and Cassiopeia before fading away at 9:49 PM in the NE, in dim Lacerta.
Saturday will have two passes, starting in the NNW at 8:56 PM in the nose of the Great Bear, a longer version of Friday’s pass, and fade out at 9 PM in the ENE near the neck of Pegasus. It will pop up on its next orbit at 10:32 PM in the WNW, climbing into Coma Berenices to wink out at 10:33 PM.
To end July, the ISS will rise at 9:41 PM in the hind legs of Ursa Major in the NW, and climb high overhead and very bright into Hercules before vanishing in the Earth’s shadow at 9:45 PM.
On Monday, August 1, it will appear at 8:51 PM in the NW in the foreleg of the Great Bear, go above Polaris, near Deneb, past the nose of Delphinus, and fade out in the ESE where Saturn is just rising at 8:56 PM.
Tuesday’s pass will rise in the WNW at 9:37 PM in WNW in the rear end of Leo, sail above the Moon and Spica, and vanish in the head of Scorpius in the SSW at 9:41 PM.
On Wednesday, the station will start in the NW at 8:46 PM, pass between Ursa Major and Leo, past bright orange Arcturus, along the length of Serpens, and into Sagittarius near the heart of the Milky Way in the SSE at 8:52 PM.
Finally, on Friday, August 5, the ISS will rise in the W in Leo at 8:42 PM, go below Spica and the Moon, and low over the ocean in the S to set below Scorpius at 8:47 PM.
The International Space Station will return to our evening sky in the second week of September.
