It will disappear for a long time after.<\/p>\n
A stretch of clear, cloudless days\u00a0this week provides\u00a0ideal conditions to view an Earth-orbiting laboratory.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0International Space Station<\/a>\u00a0will make a pass over Metro Vancouver on Thursday\u00a0(Sept. 17)\u00a0delighting Earthlings\u00a0below.\u00a0<\/p>\n Retired physics teacher Peter Vogel shared an image on social media of the space station’s path over the Lower Mainland. He notes that they come in “two-week blocks” before disappearing for nearly two months.\u00a0<\/p>\n “We are nearing the end of such a two-week block,” he writes. “Tonight, Sept. 17, we have another bright crossing of the space station. If you’ve never seen it, it is worth the minor effort. Even better, if you have youngsters, it is a very teachable opportunity.”<\/p>\n The sky-watcher added that the altitude of the ISS is currently about\u00a0420 kilometres, and that Thursday’s\u00a0pass will start at 8:45 p.m.\u00a0in the west\u00a0and around “8:49 p.m. it will seem to be directly overhead.”<\/p>\n It will also pass\u00a0through both the Big and Little Dippers this evening.<\/p>\n The Metro Vancouver weather forecast shows clear skies during the time it will pass.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n For those asking me about the ISS passes as seen from Metro Vancouver…<\/p>\n these come in two-week blocks and then it’s almost two months before another block of evening passes occurs. We are nearing the end of such a two-week block.<\/p>\n Tonight, September 17, we have another bright\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/byLs4lwMXZ<\/a><\/p>\n
When will the International Space Station\u00a0will pass over Metro Vancouver?<\/p>\n NASA has a user-friendly tool<\/a> that shows when the ISS will be viewable almost anywhere in the world. It also indicates how long the ISS will be visible and where in the sky to look.<\/p>\n Locals can also find out when the ISS will be visible using\u00a0the Stellarium app<\/a>‘s\u00a0online planetarium.<\/p>\n According to NASA, the station is visible to the naked eye and looks like a “fast-moving plane only much higher and travelling thousands of miles an hour faster.” It is also the third-brightest object<\/a> in the sky, which makes spotting it less difficult.<\/p>\n Like the moon, the space station is visible because it reflects the light of the sun.<\/p>\n The football field-sized space station serves as a testing facility for technologies and supports NASA\u2019s mission to push human presence farther into space.<\/p>\n Viewing opportunities are best on clear nights when the Metro Vancouver weather forecast isn’t calling for rain or heavy cloud cover. Thankfully, this week’s forecast includes nothing but bluebird skies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Peter Vogel (@PeterVogel) September 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n