Can I see the ISS tonight in Rolleston?
No visible ISS pass tonight.
Next chance: Friday 9 Oct at 9:17 pm, looking northwest.
The next 8 nights at a glance
13 visible passesISS pass times, night by night
start · path · brightnessTonight · Thursday 8 Oct
dark 8:15 pm – 6:20 amFriday 9 Oct
dark 8:16 pm – 6:19 amSaturday 10 Oct
dark 8:18 pm – 6:17 amSunday 11 Oct
dark 8:19 pm – 6:15 amMonday 12 Oct
dark 8:20 pm – 6:13 amTuesday 13 Oct
dark 8:21 pm – 6:11 amWednesday 14 Oct
dark 8:23 pm – 6:10 amThursday 15 Oct
dark 8:24 pm – 6:08 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
2 visible passes in 8 nightsYes · 8:40 pm, look west-northwest. 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 | 8:40 pm | 18° NNW | 0 |
| Saturday 10 Oct | 8:20 pm | 11° NNW | 1 |
Local time. Brightness is a rough estimate (±1 magnitude; lower is brighter). How we compute this.
Seeing the ISS from Rolleston
Rolleston is at 43.6°S. 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 8:15 pm until 6:20 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 are 13 visible passes over Rolleston (13 in the evening, 0 before dawn). The best is on Monday 12 Oct at 8:32 pm: it appears in the northwest, climbs to 78° in the east-northeast and sets in the east-southeast, at about magnitude -4.
Tonight the nearest city on our list that can see the ISS is Christchurch, about 21 km away, at 8:30 pm local time. From that far away the station's path across the sky looks quite different, so check the times for your own city.
The next pass over Rolleston is in 1 day: Friday 9 Oct from 9:17 pm to 9:20 pm, reaching 46° in the north-northeast.
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 Rolleston?
No visible ISS pass tonight. Next chance: Friday 9 Oct at 9:17 pm, looking northwest.
What time is the ISS visible in Rolleston?
The next visible passes start Friday 9 Oct at 9:17 pm; Saturday 10 Oct at 8:30 pm; Saturday 10 Oct at 10:06 pm (local time). All times are listed above.
Which direction should I look for the ISS from Rolleston?
This week most passes appear in the west-southwest or west. Each pass lists where it appears, how high it climbs and where it fades.
How long is the ISS visible over Rolleston?
This week's passes last between 1 and 7 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.