International Space Station will make a maximum length flyover of Charlestown with perfect weather conditions

Clear sky, cool temp as the International Space Station flies over Charlestown

By Will Collette

Tonight, the International Space Station will make a 7-minute transit above Charlestown. 

The National Weather Service forecast calls for clear skies and a temp as low as 44 degrees.

Seven minutes is pretty much the maximum amount of time the ISS can take to make its transit. Tonight, that starts at 8:48 PM.

It will appear at 10 degrees over the horizon in the west northwest and rise to 81 degrees overhead. Almost straight up. Then it will recede and disappear at 10 degrees over the horizon in the northeast.

ISS passes through our skies quite often and I always enjoy seeing it. It passes silently, a sharp bright point of light that appears when it catches the sunlight and then disappears when it reaches the earth's shadow or, as is the case tonight, it simply runs out of sky.

NASA photo

With binoculars or a small telescope, you should be able to make out detailed features on the station. 

The International Space Station is one of the few manned space ventures we have left and still serves some scientific purpose as well as one place where the US and Russia cooperate. More or less. 

The ISS is currently scheduled to be decommissioned in 2030 and will then be crashed into the ocean. Its replacement, if any, will almost certainly be run by a commercial company.

NASA maintains a website and an e-mail list that help you keep track of these overflights. At least for now. NASA like the rest of the federal science establishment is under attack from President Musk and King Donald.

You can get yourself added to the e-mail list so you can receive notice the day of an overflight. CLICK HERE to sign up.

I don't post every overflight. I skip those that are less than 5 minutes or appear on nights where weather is likely to spoil the view.

Here is the notice I received from NASA:

Time: Sun May 11 8:48 PM, Visible: 7 min, Max Height: 81°, Appears: 10° above WSW, Disappears: 10° above NE