International Space Station may be visible locally Thursday: how to see it
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Thursday evening could be a good time for San Diegans to get a glimpse of the International Space Station (ISS).
According to NASA, the ISS will be visible for seven minutes Thursday starting at 7:23 p.m., reaching a maximum height of 85 degrees above the horizon. It will be visible again for two minutes at 9:02 p.m., reaching a maximum height of 11 degrees above the horizon.
These times are determined to be the best viewing periods due to the sun reflecting off the space station in contrast to the night sky.
Based on a map by NASA’s Spot the Station app, which uses GPS to calculate the best nearby viewing points, the optimum spots to see the ISS are the Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma, Coronado Island and La Mesa.
The ISS is a unique laboratory traveling at a speed of five miles per second, orbiting Earth every 90 minutes while carrying a crew of seven.
The ISS will be visible from San Diego again Friday around 8:13 p.m. and Saturday at 7:25 p.m.
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