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ISS passes over Murmansk

When the International Space Station will fly over Murmansk and whether you will be able to see it: the next visible pass and a 10-day schedule. Times are local, UTC+3.

  • 3°maximum altitude above the horizon
  • W → Eflies from west to east
  • 400 kmorbit altitude, approx.
The highest path of the ISS over Murmansk: up to 3° above the southern horizon zenith up to 3° E S W
The station’s highest path, looking south

Loading the station’s orbit…

How to see the ISS over Murmansk

Where to look

Over Murmansk the ISS is hardly visible: it rises no higher than about 3° above the southern horizon — that is lower than the rooftops and trees. The station’s orbit doesn’t go north of latitude 51.6°, and Murmansk is at latitude 69.0° N. You might see the station only from an open place with a flat southern horizon.

When to look

The station can only be seen at twilight and at night: it is already dark where you are, but the station, about 400 kilometers up, is still lit by the Sun. Usually this is the first few hours after sunset and the last few before dawn. In the daytime you can’t make it out, and in the middle of the night it is most often in Earth’s shadow. In June and July the Sun doesn’t sink far below the horizon, and the station stays lit almost all night — that is when there are the most visible passes, several a night.

What it looks like

The ISS is a steady, bright white dot, without the blinking lights of a plane, and brighter than any star. It crosses the sky smoothly in a few minutes. Sometimes the station fades out in the middle of the sky: that is when it enters Earth’s shadow.

Coordinates: 69.0° N, 33.1° E. If you are far from the city center, the pass time will shift by a minute or two — your location gives a more precise time.

Questions

What time will the ISS fly over Murmansk today?

See the schedule on this page: it is calculated right in your browser from the station’s latest orbit, so it always covers the next 10 days. “Visible” means that it will be dark where you are while the station is lit by the Sun, so you can see it with the naked eye. Times are local, UTC+3.

Where in the sky should I look for the ISS over Murmansk?

Over Murmansk the ISS is hardly visible: it rises no higher than about 3° above the southern horizon — that is lower than the rooftops and trees. The station’s orbit doesn’t go north of latitude 51.6°, and Murmansk is at latitude 69.0° N. You might see the station only from an open place with a flat southern horizon.

Why can’t the ISS be seen every evening?

The station circles the Earth in about an hour and a half, and with each orbit its track shifts to the west. It passes over a city in series lasting several days, and between the series the passes fall in the daytime or at times when the station is in Earth’s shadow.

How can I tell the ISS from a plane or a satellite?

The ISS is a steady, bright white dot, without the blinking lights of a plane, and brighter than any star. It crosses the sky smoothly in a few minutes. Sometimes the station fades out in the middle of the sky: that is when it enters Earth’s shadow.

How high does the ISS fly?

About 400 kilometers above the Earth. Because of the remnants of the atmosphere, the station slowly loses height, and from time to time it is boosted back up with its engines.

Do I need a telescope to see the ISS?

No, the station can be seen with the naked eye. It is hard to catch in a telescope: it moves across the sky too fast.

ISS passes over other cities

Where is the station among the stars?Sky map over Murmansk: the ISS, the Moon, planets and constellations at any moment.
Open the sky map