Can I see the ISS tonight in Sterling Heights, MI?
No visible ISS pass tonight.
Next chance: Tuesday, Oct 13 at 6:36 am, looking south-southeast.
The next 8 nights at a glance
2 visible passesISS pass times, night by night
start · path · brightnessTonight · Wednesday, Oct 7
dark 7:32 pm – 7:09 amThursday, Oct 8 – Sunday, Oct 11
no visible passesMonday, Oct 12
dark 7:23 pm – 7:14 amTuesday, Oct 13
no visible passesWednesday, Oct 14
dark 7:20 pm – 7:16 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
8 visible passes in 8 nightsYes · 5:54 am, look east-southeast. 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 | 5:54 am | 60° ESE | -1.5 |
| Friday, Oct 9 | 6:30 am | 60° S | -2 |
| Saturday, Oct 10 | 5:34 am | 28° ESE | 0.5 |
| Saturday, Oct 10 | 7:06 am | 31° SSW | -1.5 |
| Sunday, Oct 11 | 6:10 am | 44° SSW | -2 |
| Monday, Oct 12 | 6:46 am | 20° SSW | -1 |
| Tuesday, Oct 13 | 5:50 am | 19° SSE | 0.5 |
| Wednesday, Oct 14 | 6:26 am | 12° SSW | 0 |
Local time. Brightness is a rough estimate (±1 magnitude; lower is brighter). How we compute this.
Seeing the ISS from Sterling Heights
Sterling Heights is at 42.6°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 7:32 pm until 7:09 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 2 visible passes over Sterling Heights (0 in the evening, 2 before dawn). The best is on Thursday, Oct 15 at 6:36 am: it appears in the south-southwest, climbs to 37° in the southeast and sets in the east-northeast, at about magnitude -2.
The next pass over Sterling Heights is in 6 days: Tuesday, Oct 13 from 6:36 am to 6:39 am, reaching 14° 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 Sterling Heights?
No visible ISS pass tonight. Next chance: Tuesday, Oct 13 at 6:36 am, looking south-southeast.
What time is the ISS visible in Sterling Heights?
The next visible passes start Tuesday, Oct 13 at 6:36 am; Thursday, Oct 15 at 6:36 am (local time). All times are listed above.
Which direction should I look for the ISS from Sterling Heights?
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 Sterling Heights?
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.