macpuzl
The International Space Station will be making numerous visible morning and evening passes through Santa Barbara’s skies to round out the summer. Its orbit may change, and I’ve only listed the very brightest evening events, so to get the latest and most complete predictions, visit Heavens Above.
On Monday, September 9, the ISS will rise in the S at 8:04 PM PDT, in the tail of Scorpius, and pass through Sagittarius and Capricornus, then above yellowish Saturn to fade out in the E below the Great Square asterism of Pegasus in the E at 8:09 PM.
Tuesday’s pass will start at 8:53 PM in Libra in the WSW, rise past Boötes, through Draco, and go just above Polaris before vanishing in the N at 8:57 PM.
On Wednesday the station will make its brightest pass of this sequence, rising in the SW at 8:06 PM, from Libra to Serpens Caput, passing by bright Vega overhead, and setting in Cassiopeia at 8:13 PM in the NE.
Thursday’s pass will sail above our mountain horizon between 8:56 PM and 9:01 PM, from WNW to N.
On Friday, it will appear in the W at 8:08 PM by brilliant Venus, cross the Big Dipper asterism near the bowl/handle junction, cruise below Polaris, and disappear in Perseus in the NNE at 8:14 PM.
The last pass of this sequence will be on Sunday, September 15, with a very low skim across our mountains from NW to N, between 8:12 and 8:14 PM.
The Autumnal Equinox on September 22 will mark the end of summer for the Northern Hemisphere, and the ISS will be back in our evening skies on September 25.
Hasta nebula,
Chuck
