macpuzlBy Chuck McPartlin
The International Space Station will be making visible passes through Santa Barbara’s evening skies, May Gray weather permitting. Its orbit may change, and I’ve only listed the evening events, so to get the latest and most complete predictions, visit Heavens Above.
On Thursday, May 11, we’ll get two decently bright passes. First, the ISS will rise in the S at 8:43 PM PDT, going low along Hydra, above the bright stars Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali of Libra, and into Serpens Caput in the E, where it will fade out at 8:48 PM. It will pop up on its next orbit at 10:19 PM in the W, passing by Procyon, below Mars, and disappearing into our shadow at 10:21 PM in the WNW below Pollux.
Friday’s pass will be brighter, starting at 9:30 PM in the WSW in Canis Minor, climbing through dim Cancer into the head of Ursa Major, by the bowl of the Little Dipper, and ending in Draco in the NE at 9:37 PM.
The brightest pass of this sequence will be on Saturday, rising in the SW at 8:42 PM in the tail of the Big Dog, cruising by orange Alphard, the heart of Hydra, through the hindquarters of Leo, across the Hunting Dogs to the head of Boötes, and setting in the NE at 8:48 PM by bright Vega. Come on out to the free monthly SBMNH Star Party to see it! At 10:20 PM it will return for a dim low skim over our mountains from the WNW to the N, ending at 10:24 PM.
On Sunday, it will repeat that mountain trajectory, a bit higher and brighter, starting in the W, and going from Venus to dim Cepheus in the NNE, setting at 9:36 PM.
On Monday, May 15, the station will appear at 8:42 PM in the WSW, going from near Sirius to Venus to below Polaris, setting N of Vega in the NNE at 8:48 PM.
Wednesday will have a dim pass along our mountains from the WNW at 8:42 PM, ending in the N at 8:46 PM.
The ISS will be back on May 22 for a series of evening passes lasting well into June.
