Weather permitting, the International Space Station will be making some nicely visible evening passes across Santa Barbara’s skies to end July. 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 Wednesday, July 23, the ISS will rise at 10:18 PM PDT in the NW for a brief cruise from the front of Ursa Major to Polaris in the N, where it will disappear into our shadow at 10:21 PM.
Thursday’s pass will be over our mountain horizon, starting at 9:30 PM in Ursa Major in the NNW, going between Cassiopeia and Cepheus, and ending in the forelegs of Pegasus in the ENE at 10:34 PM.
We’ll get two passes on Friday, starting in the NNW at 8:42 PM with a low pass skimming our mountains from Ursa Major to the ENE below Enif, the nose of Pegasus, ending at 8:47 PM. It will return on its next orbit with a bright pop up, rising at 10:18 PM in the WNW below the feet of Ursa Major, and climbing almost to bright orange Arcturus, the Guardian of the Bear, where it will fade out at 10:20 PM.
Saturday’s pass will be the best and brightest of this sequence, appearing in the NW at 9:30 PM, crossing the bowl of the Big Dipper asterism, along Draco the Dragon, then past bright Vega and Altair of the Summer Triangle, fading away at 9:34 PM in the ESE.
Sunday’s first pass will start at 8:41 PM in the NNW in the nose of Ursa Major, go below Polaris, past Deneb at the tail of Cygnus, then by the nose of Delphinus, ending in the ESE in the feet of Aquarius at 8:47 PM. It will come back at 10:19 PM in the W, go from the hindquarters of Leo into Virgo to fade away above Spica in the WSW at 10:20 PM.
On Monday, the station will rise at 9:30 PM in the WNW, pass along the length of Leo and Virgo, by Zubenelgenubi, one of the stolen claws of the scorpion, and then into shadow below bright orange Antares, the Rival of Mars at the heart of Scorpius, at 9:34 PM in the S.
The ISS on Tuesday will have another very bright pass starting at 8:41 PM in the NW through Leo Minor, up past Arcturus, along the lengths of Serpens Caput and Serpens Cauda, the snake held by Ophiuchus, and at 8:47 PM will set in the SE in the Teapot asterism of Sagittarius.
After a gap on Wednesday, it will show up again on Thursday at 8:41 PM in the W, from Leo, below the dim ember of Mars, between Virgo and Corvus, then below the Moon and vanish into the S at 8:46 PM below Scorpius.
There will be some predawn passes starting in mid August, but we won’t see the ISS in our evening skies again until the first week in September, assuming the current orbit.
Hasta nebula,
Chuck
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That ISS pass tonight actually ends at 9:34 PM.