Weather permitting, the International Space Station will be making some nicely visible passes in Santa Barbara’s evening skies over the next week. Its orbit may change, and I’ve only listed the best evening events. To get the latest and most complete predictions, visit Heavens Above.
On Saturday, May 23, the ISS will pop up in the NW at 10:14 PM PDT, climbing from near setting Capella through dim Camelopardalis, and disappear in our shadow in the N two minutes later, just before reaching the bowl of the Little Dipper asterism.
Sunday’s pass will start at 9:26 PM in the NNW, again near Capella, and cruise below Polaris, through the head of Draco, above bright Vega, and fade out in Hercules in the ENE at 9:30 PM.
We’ll get two appearances on Monday, with the first one passing low over our mountain horizon, starting at 8:39 PM in the NNW in Perseus, then through Cepheus and Draco, above Vega, and through Hercules, ending in Ophiuchus in the E at 8:44 PM. On its next orbit, it will rise at 10:15 PM in the WNW, fly above bright Venus and Jupiter in Gemini, across Cancer, and then fade away in the forepaws of Leo in the WSW at 10:17 PM.
Tuesday’s pass will be the best and brightest, rising at 9:27 PM in the NW in Auriga, then high above through Lynx and along the back of Leo, above the Moon in Virgo, and setting in Libra in the SSE at 9:32 PM.
Another bright pass will occur on Thursday, from Perseus in the NW at 8:39 PM, to Camelopardalis, Draco’s tail, the head of Boötes, along Serpens Caput, and end in Scorpius at 8:46 PM in the ESE.
On Friday, the station will rise in the W at 9:29 PM, going below Venus and Jupiter, above Procyon, and below the length of Hydra, setting in the SSW at 9:33 PM.
Saturday’s pass will be a higher and brighter repeat, from the WNW at 8:41 PM to the SSE at 8:47 PM.
If the current orbit doesn’t change, the ISS will transition to our predawn sky, and won’t return to our evening sky until July.
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