macpuzl
Weather permitting, there will be a few visible passes by the International Space Station through Santa Barbara’s evening skies in the next week. Its orbit may change, so to get the latest and most complete predictions, or predawn appearances, visit Heavens Above.
On Thursday, March 28, the ISS will pop up in the NW at 9:14 PM PDT in the middle of Cassiopeia, and fade into our shadow in the NNW at 9:16 PM.
Friday’s pass will be brighter, but low over our mountain horizon, starting in the NNW at 8:26 PM in dim Cepheus, passing beneath the bowl of the Little Dipper, and ending near the end of the handle of the Big Dipper in the ENE at 8:30 PM.
On Saturday, it will make a bright pop up starting at 9:14 PM in Andromeda in the NNW, go between the feet of Perseus and the Pleiades, and vanish as it reaches the horns of Taurus at 9:17 PM in the W.
The best and brightest pass of this sequence will be on Sunday, rising at 8:26 in the NW in Andromeda, climbing by the head of Perseus, high through dim Camelopardalis and Lynx, through the Sickle asterism of Leo, and setting near dim Crater in the SE at 8:31 PM.
For April Fool’s Day, we’ll get a dim, low pass from below Jupiter in the W at 9:15 PM, below Orion, and into shadow in Lepus in the SW at 9:17.
On Tuesday the station’s trajectory will be similar, but longer, brighter, and higher, rising in the WNW at 8:26 PM near Jupiter, passing close to Orion’s bluish foot Rigel, and ending in the S at 8:31 PM after passing below Sirius in the heart of Canis Major.
In mid-April, the ISS will be in our pre-dawn sky, returning into the evening in the second week of May.
Hasta nebula,
Chuck
Really love these posts, thanks Chuck.
My pleasure.