Local stargazers will have an extra object in the sky to view this week.
The International Space Station will be visible from the ground as it passes multiple times over the North Texas region this month.
NASA has identified multiple different times that the ISS will appear over the City of Dallas between March 8 and March 23. This week’s sighting opportunities will occur in the evening for between three and six minutes.
The space agency advises that the ISS is visible to the naked eye and will appear similar to a bright star or airplane moving across the sky, except without flashing lights or a change in direction. The ISS will also appear to move much faster than a plane. According to NASA, the ISS is the third brightest object in the sky.
The first opportunity this week was March 11 at 8:37 p.m. The ISS is expected to appear in the sky 10° above SSW for about three minutes before disappearing 32° above ESE.
Other optional sightings for this week proceed as follows:
- March 12 at 9:26 p.m. for three minutes.
- March 13 at 8:37 p.m. for six minutes
- March 14 at 9:28 p.m. for three minutes
- March 15 at 8:40 p.m. for five minutes.
NASA has also created an app, “Spot the Station,” that can assist with viewing the ISS. An iOS version can be downloaded here, while an Android version can be downloaded here.
The ISS saw its latest crew members arrive earlier last week. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 successfully docked with the International Space Station at 2:28 a.m. EST on March 5, roughly 260 miles above Newfoundland, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. The crew consisted of astronauts Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Matthew Dominick, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, according to NASA.
