Sightings

See the ISS over Sacramento

United States · local time

The International Space Station makes 12 visible passes over Sacramento 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 Sacramento's local clock.

At 38.6°N, Sacramento lies well inside the ISS's 51.6° orbital band, so the Station can climb almost to the zenith — its highest, brightest passes appear near straight overhead and can cross any part of the sky. Read why the ISS orbits at 51.6°.

Across the current forecast window the ISS makes 12 visible passes from Sacramento: the best climbs to 70°, the brightest reaches magnitude −2.1 (bright), most appear from the NNW, and they last about 6 minutes on average.

Mon 20 Jul 21:54
Visible
5m
Max height
19°
Brightness
+0.5 faint
Appears → Leaves
NNW → ENE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Mon 20 Jul 23:30
Visible
7m
Max height
63°
Brightness
+3.9 very faint
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 21:06
Visible
4m 30s
Max height
15°
Brightness
+0.8 faint
Appears → Leaves
NNW → ENE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Tue 21 Jul 22:42
Visible
7m
Max height
68°
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
Wed 22 Jul 21:55
Visible
6m 30s
Max height
41°
Brightness
−1.1 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 23:32
Visible
5m
Max height
20°
Brightness
+3.3 very faint
Appears → Leaves
W → S
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Thu 23 Jul 21:08
Visible
6m
Max height
27°
Brightness
−0.5 moderate
Appears → Leaves
NNW → E
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Thu 23 Jul 22:44
Visible
6m 30s
Max height
35°
Brightness
+1.2 faint
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 21:57
Visible
6m 30s
Max height
65°
Brightness
−2.1 bright
Appears → Leaves
WNW → SE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Sat 25 Jul 21:09
Visible
6m 30s
Max height
70°
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
Sat 25 Jul 22:48
Visible
2m
Max height
11°
Brightness
+2.3 very faint
Appears → Leaves
WSW → SSW
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Sun 26 Jul 21:59
Visible
5m
Max height
20°
Brightness
+0.1 faint
Appears → Leaves
W → S
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 Sacramento?

The next visible pass over Sacramento is on Mon 20 Jul at 21:54 local time, climbing to 19° 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 Sacramento?

For the next pass, look toward the NNW as it rises and follow it across to the ENE. 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. From Sacramento, the ISS can pass directly overhead, so it may appear in any part of the sky.

How bright does the ISS get over Sacramento?

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 Sacramento'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 38.58°N, 121.49°W · orbital data updated · computed with the SGP4 model.