CHARLOTTE — Several times a month, Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston determines sighting opportunities for the international space station for over 6,700 locations worldwide, including the Carolinas.
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There are several opportunities to see the space station fly over Charlotte and the Carolina skies coming up.
How to spot it
The station looks like an airplane or a very bright star moving across the sky, except it doesn't have flashing lights or change direction. It also moves considerably faster than a typical airplane – airplanes generally fly at about 600 mph, and the space station flies at 17,500 mph.
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Here are upcoming dates and times for possible sightings in the Charlotte area:
July 8 at 9:34 p.m., visible for 6 minutes, traveling SSW to ENE
July 8 at 11:11 p.m., visible for 5 minutes, traveling W to NNE
July 9 at 4:06 a.m., visible for 4 minutes, traveling N to ENE
July 9 at 10:23 p.m., visible for 6 minutes, traveling WSW to NNE
July 10 at 4:54 a.m., visible for 7 minutes, traveling NW to ESE
July 10 at 9:34 p.m., visible for 7 minutes, traveling SW to NE
July 10 at 11:14 p.m., visible for 2 minutes, traveling NW to N
July 11 at 4:06 a.m., visible for 6 minutes, traveling NNW to ESE
July 11 at 5:43 a.m., visible for 5 minutes, traveling W to S
July 11 at 10:25 p.m., visible for 4 minutes, traveling WNW to NNE
July 12 at 3:18 a.m., visible for 5 minutes, traveling NNW to E
July 12 at 4:55 a.m., visible for 6 minutes, traveling WNW to SSE
July 12 at 9:36 p.m., visible for 6 minutes, traveling W to NNE
July 14 at 9:38 p.m., visible for 2 minutes, traveling NW to N
For more information click here.
If you’re not in Charlotte, you can search for dates and times for your city here.
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