1 October 2016
If it’s clear tonight in Pittsburgh you’ll be able to see the International Space Station (ISS) traverse the sky for six minutes.
At 7:41pm the ISS will appear in the southwest and pass directly overhead on its way northeast at 17,150 miles per hour. At five miles per second it doesn’t take long to disappear. Read more here in the Post-Gazette on what and where to look for it.
You don’t have to be in southwestern Pennsylvania to see it. NASA’s Spot The Station website predicts ISS’s appearances around the world.
Armed with this information you can impress your friends. Casually looking at the night sky you can say, “Look over there. In half a minute the International Space Station will appear on the horizon and pass directly overhead.”
A fast-moving shiny thing in the sky.
(photo of the International Space Station as seen from the Space Shuttle Atlantis, 19 July 2011. Click on the image to see the original)
p.s. Unless they’ve already fixed it, I believe there’s a typo in the Post-Gazette’s 2nd paragraph which says “Monday” but probably means Saturday.
It should be noted that these times are precise! But usually in the first minute or so, you might not see it because of the murkiness near the horizon. But @ 88° overhead tonight, that will be a great pass by the ISS.
Thanks for the “heads-up” on this sighting. I just watched it cross a beautiful clear sky.