Look up! The biggest and brightest satellite in the sky will be zooming over Ohio this weekend. And the show starts tonight.
The International Space Station, where an Ohio native was one of two astronauts who recently returned to Earth following an unexpected nine-month stay, will be flying over Ohio a total of four times on May 9, 10 and 11, Dean Regas, an astronomer formerly of the Cincinnati Observatory, said in a press release.
Here’s how you can see it.
International Space Station flybys over Ohio starting May 9
According to Regas, the ISS will pass over the Cincinnati area at the following dates and times:
Elsewhere in the state, Regas said times for the space station flybys will only vary by a few seconds.
“The ISS is traveling about 17,400 mph so it crosses over the state of Ohio very quickly,” he said in an email.
What will the International Space Station look like as it flies over Ohio?
From Earth, the ISS looks like a very bright, non-twinkling star that slowly moves across the sky, Regas said. On each pass, it will look several times brighter than the brightest star.
“If the skies are clear, you can’t miss it!” he said in the release.
According to his bio, Regas is a public speaker and author, and was the astronomer for the Cincinnati Observatory from 2000-2023. He has written six books, and is host of the astronomy podcast “Looking Up with Dean Regas.”
The ISS is an international venture between five space agencies, including NASA
The ISS, which orbits about 250 miles above the surface of the Earth, is an international partnership between NASA in the United States and the space agencies in Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.
According to its website, The space station has been continuously occupied since November 2000 with an international crew of seven people. It travels at a speed of five miles per second, orbiting Earth about every 90 minutes. In 24 hours, the space station makes 16 orbits of Earth.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: ISS will be flying over Ohio this weekend. How to see it from Cincinnati, around the state
Reporting by Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
