International Space Station (ISS) Passes

Image Credit: NASA

Another favorite pastime I have was watching for passes by the International Space Station (ISS). Now it is docked with the space shuttle, so it should appear a little brighter than it usually does. The best times to look for passes are just after sunset, or just before sunrise. You can look up predicted passes by using the heavens-above website. It is also neat to see them go over just after they separate. Select your location from their vast database and you can retrieve a list of pass time. The lower the number in the "Mag" column, the better your chances for seeing a pass.

Here is a list of pass times for the next couple of days over my location south of Charleston, WV:

Date	Mag	Starts			Max. altitude			Ends
		Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.
17 Mar	-0.4	06:58	10	NNW	07:01	28	NNE	07:03	10	E
18 Mar	0.7	05:47	11	N	05:48	13	NNE	05:49	10	NE
19 Mar	-0.3	06:08	14	NNW	06:10	26	NNE	06:13	10	E
20 Mar	-2.4	06:30	13	NW	06:33	85	NE	06:35	10	SE
21 Mar	0.5	05:21	20	ENE	05:21	20	ENE	05:22	10	E
21 Mar	-1.1	06:52	10	WNW	06:55	24	SW	06:57	10	S
22 Mar	-1.0	05:43	35	ESE	05:43	35	ESE	05:45	10	SE
23 Mar	-0.3	06:05	17	S	06:05	17	S	06:06	10	SSE

These pass times were all retrieved from the heavens-above website. Also note that the predicted times for the passes are VERY accurate. Get your time synchronized with the NIST time for best results. If you are lucky enough to see a pass, feel free to drop a comment here. Good Luck!