Can I see the ISS tonight in Carlow?
No visible ISS pass tonight.
Next chance: Thursday 15 Oct at 7:01 am, looking south.
The next 8 nights at a glance
1 visible passISS pass times, night by night
start · path · brightnessTonight · Wednesday 7 Oct
dark 7:26 pm – 7:06 amThursday 8 Oct – Tuesday 13 Oct
no visible passesWednesday 14 Oct
dark 7:10 pm – 7:18 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
1 visible pass in 8 nightsYes · 6:17 am, look south-southwest. Tiangong orbits about 386 km up, tilted 41.5° to the equator. It looks like a bright, steady star gliding across the sky, fainter than the ISS but easy to see without a telescope.
| Night | Appears | Highest | Mag ≈ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday 8 Oct | 6:17 am | 11° S | 0.5 |
Local time. Brightness is a rough estimate (±1 magnitude; lower is brighter). How we compute this.
Seeing the ISS from Carlow
Carlow is at 52.8°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 7:26 pm until 7:06 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 Carlow (0 in the evening, 1 before dawn). The best is on Thursday 15 Oct at 7:01 am: it appears in the south, climbs to 15° in the southeast and sets in the east-southeast, at about magnitude 0.
The next pass over Carlow is in 8 days: Thursday 15 Oct from 7:01 am to 7:05 am, reaching 15° in the 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 Carlow?
No visible ISS pass tonight. Next chance: Thursday 15 Oct at 7:01 am, looking south.
What time is the ISS visible in Carlow?
The next visible passes start Thursday 15 Oct at 7:01 am (local time). All times are listed above.
Which direction should I look for the ISS from Carlow?
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 Carlow?
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.