International Space Station

Spot the International Space Station Tonight
Spot the International Space Station Tonight
Spot the International Space Station Tonight
Tonight on the South Plains we have another great opportunity to see the International Space Station (ISS) as it passes high overhead. The local forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies, so it should be good viewing weather.
Satellite Spotting Opportunities in the Lubbock Area Tonight
Satellite Spotting Opportunities in the Lubbock Area Tonight
Satellite Spotting Opportunities in the Lubbock Area Tonight
Tonight’s ISS pass will be very bright. Begin watching for it at 7:04 pm near the northwest horizon, climbing higher to nearly directly overhead at about 7:07. From there the ISS will continue toward the southeast horizon, and rather than going out of sight below the horizon, it will disappear into the earth’s shadow about 7:08:38.
International Space Station Visible
International Space Station Visible
International Space Station Visible
Skies are forecast to be partly cloudy this evening, Monday, December 08, 2014. This should be another great opportunity to spot the International Space Station (ISS) as it passes over the Lubbock area.
Satellite Sighting Opportunities Tonight in the Lubbock Area
Satellite Sighting Opportunities Tonight in the Lubbock Area
Satellite Sighting Opportunities Tonight in the Lubbock Area
The International Space Station will be bright and visible for a short time, appearing on the southern horizon, climbing up toward the southeast, but will only be visible for about 90 seconds. The interesting aspect to tonight's ISS pass is that you will get to watch the ISS disappear into Earth's shadow. The ISS will appear a few seconds after 6:58 p.m. and disappear just before 7:01.
ISS Apps
ISS Apps
ISS Apps
In the past I've written a couple of articles about watching the International Space Station (ISS) when it passes overhead. Lots of folks were interested, and many had no idea this was even possible, so here's a little more information that will be useful if you are interested in viewing passes.
ISS Visible in Lubbock
ISS Visible in Lubbock
ISS Visible in Lubbock
The ISS pass will begin about 7:21pm, and will last for about 6 minutes. Look just above the northwest horizon to find a bright object that will look like a very bright star or a planet moving up quickly. The station will pass across fairly close to overhead then move toward the southeast horizon. You do not need to drive out of town, as you should be able to spot the station even under the bright city lights. Just take the family out in the yard or a park, anywhere the sky can be seen well.
Watching the ISS
Watching the ISS
Watching the ISS
The ISS orbits at an altitude of about 200 - 270 miles above the earth, at a speed of over 17,000 mph. The (relatively) low altitude orbit requires sighting opportunities of the Station to be fairly close to sunset or sunrise time to be visible, though the sky can still be completely dark. It's common to see the ISS literally disappear as you watch it. This occurs when it travels into the shadow of the earth.