Sightings

See the ISS over Florence

Italy · local time

The International Space Station makes 12 visible passes over Florence in the next few nights. Each one is a bright, fast-moving point of light crossing the sky in a matter of minutes — no telescope needed. Times below are in Florence's local clock.

Fri 17 Jul 23:56
Visible
6m 30s
Max height
77°
Brightness
+1.1 faint
Appears → Leaves
NW → ESE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Sat 18 Jul 21:32
Visible
5m 30s
Max height
22°
Brightness
+0.8 faint
Appears → Leaves
NW → ENE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Sat 18 Jul 23:09
Visible
6m 30s
Max height
51°
Brightness
−1.0 moderate
Appears → Leaves
NW → ESE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Sun 19 Jul 22:21
Visible
6m 30s
Max height
37°
Brightness
−0.4 moderate
Appears → Leaves
NW → E
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Sun 19 Jul 23:58
Visible
6m 30s
Max height
39°
Brightness
+1.8 faint
Appears → Leaves
WNW → SSE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Mon 20 Jul 21:34
Visible
6m
Max height
29°
Brightness
−0.1 moderate
Appears → Leaves
NW → E
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Mon 20 Jul 23:10
Visible
7m
Max height
63°
Brightness
−1.3 moderate
Appears → Leaves
WNW → SE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Tue 21 Jul 22:23
Visible
7m
Max height
72°
Brightness
−2.1 bright
Appears → Leaves
NW → ESE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Wed 22 Jul 21:35
Visible
7m
Max height
50°
Brightness
−1.4 moderate
Appears → Leaves
NW → ESE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Wed 22 Jul 23:13
Visible
5m 30s
Max height
24°
Brightness
+0.2 faint
Appears → Leaves
W → SSE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Thu 23 Jul 22:25
Visible
6m 30s
Max height
40°
Brightness
−1.5 moderate
Appears → Leaves
WNW → SSE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Fri 24 Jul 21:37
Visible
6m 30s
Max height
66°
Brightness
−2.0 bright
Appears → Leaves
WNW → SE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
See it live from your exact spot Get pass alerts on your phone

How to read this

  • Max height — how high the ISS climbs above the horizon at its peak, in degrees (90° is straight overhead). Higher passes are brighter and easier to spot.
  • Brightness — apparent magnitude; lower (more negative) is brighter. At its best the ISS outshines every star.
  • Appears → Leaves — the compass direction it rises from and sets toward. The station always tracks roughly west-to-east.

Want the underlying mechanics? Read how to spot the ISS, why passes only happen at dawn and dusk, and how the station's brightness is worked out.

Frequently asked

When is the ISS visible from Florence?

The next visible pass over Florence is on Fri 17 Jul at 23:56 local time, climbing to 77° above the horizon. The station is only visible when it is sunlit and your sky is dark — around dawn and dusk — so favourable windows come in clusters of a few days, then disappear for a week or two as the orbit drifts.

Which direction should I look to see the ISS from Florence?

For the next pass, look toward the NW as it rises and follow it across to the ESE. The ISS always travels roughly west-to-east and crosses in two to six minutes — no telescope needed, it looks like a bright, steady star moving steadily across the sky.

How bright does the ISS get over Florence?

At its best in this window the station reaches magnitude −2.1 (bright) — bright enough to outshine every star and most planets. The higher it climbs and the closer it passes to overhead, the brighter it appears.

Are these ISS pass times accurate?

Yes — they are computed from the latest published orbital element set (TLE) using the standard SGP4 model, the same maths professional tracking tools use. Times are shown in Florence's local clock and refreshed continuously as a newer element set is published. For a live sky view and a phone-pointing AR mode, use the tracker on the home page.

Coordinates 43.77°N, 11.26°E · orbital data updated · computed with the SGP4 model.