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The International Space Station visible from most cities in southern Canada
The International Space Station
(Credit: NASA)
The International Space Station will be visible from most southern Canadian cities in late March. It will also be much brighter once Canadarm2 installs the Station's fourth and final set of solar panels. Why not take 5 minutes out of your evening to watch it glide by overhead? Bundle up and head outside to see the Station from your home town. It's a great way to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy!
Check the table below to see the International Space Station (ISS) around these dates. Note that the following are the best passes, but the Station crosses Canada several times daily-in fact, it circles the Earth 16 times every 24 hours. These passes are the easiest times to find the Station in the night sky based on the expected brightness of the Station (known as its magnitude in astronomical terms) and its altitude in the sky.
The Space Station will appear as a bright, star-like object that actually looks a bit like an airplane. However, you can distinguish it from aircraft easily, since the Space Station does not have blinking lights.
| City | Best Date | ISS Rises | Magnitude (Brightness) |
Maximum altitude |
ISS Sets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | March 26 | 8:36 p.m. in the WNW | -2.3 (Excellent) | 73 degrees in the NNE | 8:41 p.m. in the E |
| Calgary | March 23 | 8:17 p.m. in the W | -2.3 (Excellent) | 85 degrees in the N (almost directly overhead) | 8:23 in the E |
| Edmonton | March 23 | 8:17 p.m. in the WSW | -2.0 (Excellent) | 55 degrees in the S | 8:23 p.m. in the E |
| Saskatoon | March 23 | 8:18 p.m. in the W | -2.3 (Excellent) | 83 degrees in the S | 8:23 p.m. in the E |
| Winnipeg | March 26 | 9:05 p.m. in the WNW | -2.4 (Excellent) | 86 degrees slightly towards the SSW (almost directly overhead) | 9:10 p.m. in the ESE |
| Toronto | March 27 | 9:00 p.m. in the NW | -1.4 (Very bright) | 37 degrees in the NNE | 9:04 p.m. in the NE |
| Ottawa | March 27 | 9:01 in the WNW | -2.3 (Excellent) | 68 degrees in the NNE | 9:04 p.m. in the NE |
| Montreal | March 27 | 9:01 p.m. in the WNW | -2.3 (Excellent) | 75 degrees in the NNW | 9:04 p.m. in the NNW |
| Quebec City | March 26 | 8:34 p.m. in the WNW | -2.0 (Excellent) | 54 degrees in the NNE | 8:38 p.m. in the ENE |
| Saint John, NB | March 26 | 9:35 p.m. in the NW | -1.5 (Very bright) | 48 degrees in the NNW | 9:38 p.m. in the NNW (the ISS will seem to disappear when at its maximum altitude) |
| Halifax | March 26 | 9:36 p.m. in the NW | -0.8 (Bright) | 36 degrees in the NW | 9:38 p.m. in the NNW low near the horizon |
| St. John's, Nfld | March 24 | 9:13 p.m. in the WNW | -1.5 (Very bright) | 46 degrees in the N | 9:16 p.m. in the N (the ISS will seem to disappear when at its maximum altitude) |
All information courtesy of www.heavens-above.com. All times local.
How bright will the Station be?
Astronomers measure the brightness of objects in the sky by their apparent magnitude. Developed by the ancient Greeks, the scale counted the brightest stars as magnitude 1 and the faintest as 6. The scale has since been modernized to include very bright objects, which have a negative magnitude (for instance, the Sun is -26.73).
While the International Space Station is currently visible to the naked eye, the additional set of solar panels will reflect more of the Sun's light, making the Station more brilliant to Earth-bound observers. The full Moon has a magnitude of -12.6, Venus stands at -4.7, while Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, lags far behind with a mere -1.47. Only the occasional Iridium satellite flares (bright flashes lasting seconds caused by the Sun's reflection on Iridium communications satellites) will be brighter that the Station at its perigee, with flashes that can reach -8.0.
