The International Space Station (ISS) will be visible from Central Virginia around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, traveling from the southwest to the northeast. Professor Edward Murphy from the UVA Department of Astronomy noted that the ISS orbits in such a way that it passes over the same area only every few months, with different trajectories at different times.
To catch a glimpse of the ISS, it’s best to head outside by 8:25 p.m. and look towards the southwest. It is expected to appear low in the sky around 8:31 p.m., moving upwards rapidly. The station will reach nearly overhead by 8:34 p.m. and will be out of sight by approximately 8:37 p.m.
At its peak visibility, the ISS will be about 260 miles above Earth and traveling at 17,400 miles per hour. Measuring 356 feet long—just shy of an American football field—the station has been consistently orbiting Earth since its launch in November 2000. It completes 16 orbits daily, witnessing 16 sunrises and sunsets.
Currently, the ISS is home to seven astronauts, including three from NASA, three from Russia, and one from Europe.
