Can I see the ISS tonight in Prince George, British Columbia?
No visible ISS pass tonight.
Next chance: Thursday, Oct 15 at 6:46 am, looking south.
The next 8 nights at a glance
1 visible passISS pass times, night by night
start · path · brightnessTonight · Wednesday, Oct 7
dark 7:08 pm – 6:50 amThursday, Oct 8 – Tuesday, Oct 13
no visible passesWednesday, Oct 14
dark 6:52 pm – 7:03 amMagnitude is an estimate (lower = brighter; the ISS is usually between −1 and −3, brighter than any star). A pass that ends high in the sky ends because the station enters Earth's shadow, not because it sets. How we compute this.
Tiangong, China's space station
0 visible passes in 8 nightsTiangong's orbit is tilted 41.5° to the equator, so from Prince George at 53.9°N it stays low near the southern horizon and we find no pass above 10° in a dark sky in the next 8 nights.
Seeing the ISS from Prince George
Prince George is at 53.9°N. The ISS orbits at about 420 km, tilted 51.6° to the equator, so it passes within sight of this latitude on many nights. Tonight the sky is dark enough from 7:08 pm until 6:50 am. You can only see the station when it is still lit by the Sun while you are in darkness, so passes come in the hours after dusk or before dawn.
Over the next 8 nights there is 1 visible pass over Prince George (0 in the evening, 1 before dawn). The best is on Thursday, Oct 15 at 6:46 am: it appears in the south, climbs to 15° in the south-southeast and sets in the east-southeast, at about magnitude 0.
The next pass over Prince George is in 8 days: Thursday, Oct 15 from 6:46 am to 6:50 am, reaching 15° in the south-southeast.
The ISS looks like a steady, very bright star moving smoothly across the sky in a few minutes, with no blinking lights. It needs no telescope. If the times above say it fades out high in the sky, it has entered Earth's shadow: it disappears in a few seconds.
Questions
Can I see the ISS tonight in Prince George?
No visible ISS pass tonight. Next chance: Thursday, Oct 15 at 6:46 am, looking south.
What time is the ISS visible in Prince George?
The next visible passes start Thursday, Oct 15 at 6:46 am (local time). All times are listed above.
Which direction should I look for the ISS from Prince George?
This week most passes appear in the south. Each pass lists where it appears, how high it climbs and where it fades.
How long is the ISS visible over Prince George?
This week's passes last between 4 and 4 minutes, from the moment it climbs 10° above the horizon or leaves Earth's shadow until it sets or enters the shadow.
Do I need a telescope to see the ISS?
No. It is one of the brightest objects in the night sky and is easy to see with the naked eye, even from a city.