Can I see the ISS tonight in Elgin, IL?
No visible ISS pass tonight.
Next chance: Monday, Oct 12 at 6:22 am, looking south-southeast.
The next 8 nights at a glance
3 visible passesISS pass times, night by night
start · path · brightnessTonight · Wednesday, Oct 7
dark 6:53 pm – 6:29 amThursday, Oct 8 – Saturday, Oct 10
no visible passesSunday, Oct 11
dark 6:46 pm – 6:34 amMonday, Oct 12
no visible passesTuesday, Oct 13
dark 6:43 pm – 6:36 amWednesday, Oct 14
dark 6:41 pm – 6:37 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
10 visible passes in 8 nightsYes · 6:26 am, look west. 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, Oct 8 | 4:54 am | 29° E | 1 |
| Thursday, Oct 8 | 6:26 am | 63° SSW | -2 |
| Friday, Oct 9 | 5:30 am | 76° SSE | -2.5 |
| Saturday, Oct 10 | 4:34 am | 15° E | 2 |
| Saturday, Oct 10 | 6:06 am | 44° S | -1.5 |
| Sunday, Oct 11 | 5:10 am | 40° SE | -0.5 |
| Monday, Oct 12 | 5:46 am | 29° SSW | -1.5 |
| Tuesday, Oct 13 | 4:50 am | 13° SE | 1.5 |
| Tuesday, Oct 13 | 6:22 am | 11° SW | 0 |
| Wednesday, Oct 14 | 5:26 am | 14° S | 0.5 |
Local time. Brightness is a rough estimate (±1 magnitude; lower is brighter). How we compute this.
Seeing the ISS from Elgin
Elgin is at 42.0°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 6:53 pm until 6:29 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 3 visible passes over Elgin (0 in the evening, 3 before dawn). The best is on Wednesday, Oct 14 at 6:23 am: it appears in the south-southwest, climbs to 42° in the southeast and sets in the east-northeast, at about magnitude -2.
The next pass over Elgin is in 5 days: Monday, Oct 12 from 6:22 am to 6:26 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 Elgin?
No visible ISS pass tonight. Next chance: Monday, Oct 12 at 6:22 am, looking south-southeast.
What time is the ISS visible in Elgin?
The next visible passes start Monday, Oct 12 at 6:22 am; Wednesday, Oct 14 at 6:23 am; Thursday, Oct 15 at 5:36 am (local time). All times are listed above.
Which direction should I look for the ISS from Elgin?
This week most passes appear in the south-southeast or south-southwest. Each pass lists where it appears, how high it climbs and where it fades.
How long is the ISS visible over Elgin?
This week's passes last between 4 and 6 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.