Can I see the ISS tonight in San Luis Obispo, CA?
No visible ISS pass tonight.
Next chance: Sunday, Oct 11 at 6:39 am, looking south.
The next 8 nights at a glance
5 visible passesISS pass times, night by night
start · path · brightnessTonight · Wednesday, Oct 7
dark 7:04 pm – 6:37 amThursday, Oct 8 – Friday, Oct 9
no visible passesSaturday, Oct 10
dark 7:00 pm – 6:40 amSunday, Oct 11
dark 6:58 pm – 6:40 amMonday, Oct 12
dark 6:57 pm – 6:41 amTuesday, Oct 13
dark 6:56 pm – 6:42 amWednesday, Oct 14
dark 6:55 pm – 6:43 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 · 5:58 am, look 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, Oct 8 | 5:58 am | 26° N | -0.5 |
| Friday, Oct 9 | 5:02 am | 16° NE | 1.5 |
| Friday, Oct 9 | 6:35 am | 43° NNE | -1 |
| Saturday, Oct 10 | 5:38 am | 32° N | -0.5 |
| Sunday, Oct 11 | 6:14 am | 70° NE | -2 |
| Monday, Oct 12 | 5:18 am | 36° ENE | 0 |
| Tuesday, Oct 13 | 5:54 am | 63° SSW | -2.5 |
| Wednesday, Oct 14 | 4:58 am | 14° ESE | 2 |
| Wednesday, Oct 14 | 6:30 am | 17° SW | -0.5 |
| Thursday, Oct 15 | 5:34 am | 23° S | -0.5 |
Local time. Brightness is a rough estimate (±1 magnitude; lower is brighter). How we compute this.
Seeing the ISS from San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo is at 35.3°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 7:04 pm until 6:37 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 5 visible passes over San Luis Obispo (0 in the evening, 5 before dawn). The best is on Wednesday, Oct 14 at 5:54 am: it appears in the south-southwest, climbs to 43° in the southeast and sets in the east-northeast, at about magnitude -2.5.
The next pass over San Luis Obispo is in 4 days: Sunday, Oct 11 from 6:39 am to 6:40 am, reaching 15° in the south.
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 San Luis Obispo?
No visible ISS pass tonight. Next chance: Sunday, Oct 11 at 6:39 am, looking south.
What time is the ISS visible in San Luis Obispo?
The next visible passes start Sunday, Oct 11 at 6:39 am; Monday, Oct 12 at 5:53 am; Tuesday, Oct 13 at 6:40 am (local time). All times are listed above.
Which direction should I look for the ISS from San Luis Obispo?
This week most passes appear in the south or south-southeast. Each pass lists where it appears, how high it climbs and where it fades.
How long is the ISS visible over San Luis Obispo?
This week's passes last between 1 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.