While sightings of the International Space Station (ISS) from Kerala aren’t uncommon, the coming days present a rare visual treat. From today until July 10, skywatchers across the state will have a golden opportunity to spot the ISS with the naked eye and aboard it is India’s pride, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, along with 10 other crew members.
Although the ISS circles the Earth multiple times a day, clear sightings from any one specific location are relatively rare. And when a spacecraft carrying an Indian astronaut streaks across the sky directly overhead, it also becomes a moment worth pausing for.
Tonight at 7.56 pm, the ISS will first appear in the southwestern sky. By around 7.59 pm, it will pass almost directly overhead before fading into the northeastern sky by 8.03 pm. If the skies stay clear, viewers can enjoy a spectacular six-and-a-half-minute display of the station gliding by like a bright star.
On the following night, at 7.10 pm, the ISS will reappear in the southeastern sky, though the visibility may not be as clear as tonight’s pass. However, on the morning of the 9th, a particularly bright sighting is expected. The ISS will emerge in the northwestern sky at around 5.50 am, move overhead by 5.53 am and vanish into the southeastern sky by 5.57 am.
The ISS, which has been orbiting Earth for over a quarter of a century, is about the size of a football stadium. It is a joint venture involving 15 countries, including the US, Russia and Japan. Travelling at a speed of 27,500 km per hour, the space station orbits approximately 400 km above the Earth’s surface. “The ISS is usually visible just after sunset and just before sunrise when sunlight reflects off its surface,” said Surendran Punnassery, an amateur skywatcher.