Beginning of the autumn ISS, plus a nova and a comet – edhat

The International Space Station will make some visible evening flights across Santa Barbara's sky over the next week or so. Its orbit can change, and I have listed only the very brightest events. For the latest and most complete predictions, visit Heavens Above.

On Friday, September 27th, the ISS will appear NNW at 8:21 p.m. PDT and pass low over our mountain horizon from the bowl of the Big Dipper constellation and below Polaris to NNE, where it will be in our shadow at 8 a.m will disappear at 11 p.m.

Saturday's pass will rise NNW at 7:33 p.m. and run low again from the head of Ursa Major to Perseus, fading out ENE between Andromeda and Triangulum at 7:37 p.m. It will appear briefly again at 9:09 p.m. in the WNW and rise as far as Boötes before disappearing after a minute.

On Sunday, the station will make a bright transition from NW to NNW, rising under the handle of the Big Dipper at 8:21 p.m. and flying along the winding Draco, disappearing into shadow at an altitude of 63 degrees at 8:24 p.m.

On Monday there will be a longer bright passage starting at 7:33 p.m. in the northwest at the bowl of the Big Dipper, past Polaris, between Cepheus and Cassiopeia, over the lower part of the Great Square asterism in Pegasus and sailing into the faint frost asterism in Pisces to the east, where it fades at 7:38 p.m.

On October 1, the ISS will rise WNW at 8:21 p.m., fly past the orange Arcturus and along the length of Serpens before entering the shadow SSW at 8:25 p.m., directly above the teapot asterism in Sagittarius .

On Wednesday there will be a bright pass from NW to SSE starting at Canes Venatici at 7:33 p.m., through Boötes and Corona Borealis, past the heads of Hercules and Ophiuchus and through Aquila to Capricornus, where it will be at 7 p.m Clock ends: 39 p.m.

Keep an eye on the C shape of Corona Borealis, the northern crown. A recurring nova known as the T Coronae Borealis or Blaze Star appears to appear there every day. Finder cards and exhibition here.

There will be no visible transit on Thursday, but on Friday at 7:34 p.m. the station will move from west to south, from below Arcturus, above very bright Venus and along the longitude of Scorpius, ending at 7:38 p.m .

If you're a morning person and have a good eastern horizon, look for Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, low above the dawn glow, about 45 minutes before sunrise. This bright comet could put on quite a spectacle in the evening sky in the second week of October after passing perihelion.

Hasta fog,
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