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ISS pass times for Chicago, IL
Next visible ISS pass over Chicago: Tomorrow morning at 5:01 AM CDT — look north-northeast, climbs to 19° (low in the sky) heading northeast, visible for about 1 minute. It stays low, so find a spot with a clear view toward the horizon.
Visible passes over Chicago — next 5 days
ISS, China’s Tiangong space station and the Hubble Space Telescope. Times are local to Chicago. “Max height” is degrees above the horizon: 90° is straight overhead.
| When | Object | Path | Max height | Visible for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 23 7:27 PM CDT | Tiangong | SSW → S | 26° | 2 min |
| Sat, Oct 24 5:01 AM CDT | ISS | NNE → NE | 19° | 1 min |
| Sat, Oct 24 6:35 AM CDT | ISS | NNW → NE | 17° | 4 min |
| Sat, Oct 24 6:28 PM CDT | Tiangong | S → ESE | 17° | 4 min |
| Sat, Oct 24 8:03 PM CDT | Tiangong | WSW → WSW | 57°bright/high | 1 min |
| Sun, Oct 25 5:49 AM CDT | ISS | NNW → NE | 16° | 3 min |
| Sun, Oct 25 7:03 PM CDT | Tiangong | SW → ESE | 40° | 4 min |
| Mon, Oct 26 5:03 AM CDT | ISS | NNE → NE | 16° | 1 min |
| Mon, Oct 26 6:37 AM CDT | ISS | NW → ENE | 23° | 6 min |
| Mon, Oct 26 7:40 PM CDT | Tiangong | WSW → WSW | 69°bright/high | 2 min |
| Tue, Oct 27 5:51 AM CDT | ISS | NNW → ENE | 19° | 4 min |
| Tue, Oct 27 6:40 PM CDT | Tiangong | WSW → E | 58°bright/high | 5 min |
| Tue, Oct 27 8:17 PM CDT | Tiangong | W → W | 80°bright/high | 1 min |
| Wed, Oct 28 5:05 AM CDT | ISS | NNE → NE | 17° | 1 min |
Computed Fri, Oct 23, 6:21 AM CDT.
Get a heads-up before the best pass each night — free on iPhone
PERIGEE alerts you before the night’s best ISS pass over Chicago, and shows everything overhead on a live 3D globe.
Open the live 3D viewHow to spot it
- Go outside a few minutes early, let your eyes adjust, and face the direction the pass starts from.
- It looks like a bright, steady star moving smoothly across the sky. It takes a few minutes to cross and never blinks — blinking or colored lights mean a plane.
- The ISS is one of the brightest objects in the night sky, brighter than any star. Tiangong is a little fainter; Hubble looks like an ordinary star on the move.
- It often fades out partway across the sky: that is the moment it enters Earth’s shadow.
- Height above the horizon: 10° is about a fist held at arm’s length, 90° is straight overhead. Passes above 40° are the easiest and brightest.
Frequently asked questions
When can I see the ISS from Chicago tonight?
There is no visible ISS pass over Chicago tonight. The next one is tomorrow morning at 5:01 AM CDT: look north-northeast, climbs to 19° (low in the sky) heading northeast, visible for about 1 minute.
Why can’t I see the ISS every night?
The ISS is only visible around dawn and dusk, when it is still lit by the sun while you are in darkness. Its orbit drifts relative to the sunrise and sunset line, so visible passes come in windows of several days (first in the morning sky, a few weeks later in the evening sky) with gaps in between when every pass is in daylight or in Earth’s shadow.
Do I need a telescope or binoculars?
No. The ISS is one of the brightest objects in the night sky and is easy to see with the naked eye, even from a brightly lit city. Binoculars won’t show any detail, and a telescope is very hard to aim at something moving that fast.
How accurate are these times?
They are computed from the latest public orbital elements (CelesTrak), refreshed every few hours, and are usually good to within a minute. The ISS occasionally fires its engines to adjust its orbit, which can shift pass times, so check again on the day.
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