Star & Planet FinderISS passes›South Africa›Cape Town
The International Space Station is one of the brightest things in the night sky, but you can only see it when your sky is dark and the station, about 400 km up, is still in sunlight. These are the passes over Cape Town when that happens.
Next visible pass over Cape Town
Visible for 5m 58s. It looks like a bright star gliding steadily across the sky, without blinking.
The line is the station’s path over the ground: gold where it is in sunlight, dashed where it is in Earth’s shadow. Inside the white circle it is above Cape Town’s horizon. Drag the map to move it, and the slider to follow the station along.
The map of this pass loads with the latest orbit…
Times are local to Cape Town. “Highest” is how far above the horizon the station climbs: 90° is straight overhead, and anything above 40° clears most buildings and trees.
| Date | Appears | Highest | Disappears | Visible for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Nov 15 | 04:44 N | 04:47 28° NE | 04:50 ESE | 5m 58s | |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 03:58 NNE | 03:59 15° NE | 04:01 E | 3m 33s | |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 04:45 NW | 04:48 78° SW | 04:51 SE | 6m 20s |
28 more passes happen in daylight or in Earth’s shadow and cannot be seen. Computed Saturday, November 14, 2026.
With the app
A time and a direction get you outside. In the dark, with the station already moving, the app does the rest.
Go outside two minutes before the start time and face the direction in the “Appears” column. The station shows up exactly on schedule.
A steady white light, brighter than any star, crossing the sky in a few minutes. It does not blink, and it is faster than a plane at altitude.
When the station flies into Earth’s shadow it fades out in a few seconds. The table shows where each pass ends.
More in the guide: How to see the International Space Station.
On Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 04:44, Cape Town time. The station appears in the north, climbs to 28° above the horizon at 04:47, and sinks out of sight in the east-southeast at 04:50.
13 times between Saturday, November 14, 2026 and Tuesday, November 24, 2026. It passes over 28 more times in daylight or in Earth’s shadow, when it cannot be seen.
The pass of Sunday, November 15, 2026 can be seen for 5m 58s, from 04:44 to 04:50. It is brightest when it is highest, 28° up in the northeast.