MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Skywatchers across a wide swath of the country have a chance to catch two highly visible passes of the International Space Station tonight, with the first pass over the East Coast already concluded and a second, highly favorable pass beginning around 8:18 PM CDT across the Midwest, Great Lakes, and into the Northeast. The station currently carries seven crew members, with NASA astronaut Jessica Meir among those aboard as it orbits roughly 250 miles above Earth at approximately 17,500 miles per hour.
Pass One Over the East Coast Has Already Concluded
The first of tonight’s two ISS passes was visible along the East Coast, with a viewing window running from approximately 7:45 PM to 7:53 PM EDT. That pass has already concluded by the time the second, more widely visible pass begins across the central and northern portions of the country, meaning residents along the East Coast who missed the earlier window will need to wait for another opportunity on a future night.
Tracking data shows this first pass beginning near the Gulf Coast and arcing northeastward across the eastern United States before concluding off the Atlantic coast, a path that placed much of the East Coast within range of a viewing opportunity earlier in the evening.
Second Pass Begins at 8:18 PM Across the Midwest
The second and more prominently highlighted pass begins around 8:18 PM CDT, with favorable viewing extending across portions of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, the Great Lakes region, and continuing into the Northeast. This pass follows a track that carries the station from the western Great Plains diagonally across the northern Midwest and toward the Northeast, offering an extended viewing corridor for residents across multiple states.
Tracking data shows this second pass beginning in the western Great Plains region and arcing northeastward across Minnesota, the Great Lakes, and into the Northeast, concluding somewhere off the northeastern coast as the station continues its orbital path away from the continental United States.
Minneapolis Positioned for a Nearly Direct Overhead Pass
Among the many communities within tonight’s viewing corridor, Minneapolis stands out as a location where the station will fly almost directly overhead during the second pass, offering what should be an especially prominent and easy-to-spot viewing opportunity for residents in that area. A nearly overhead pass typically provides the brightest and most dramatic viewing experience, since the station is at its closest approach to observers directly beneath its orbital path…