When is the ISS visible from San Jose tonight?
Tomorrow morning at 5:09 AM. Look S: it pops into view mid-sky as it leaves Earth’s shadow, climbs to 17° above the horizon, crosses toward the E and sets around 5:11 AM.
ISS passes over San Jose, CA: next five days
| When | Appears | Path | Peak height | Gone by | Brightness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomorrow morning Thu, Oct 15 |
5:09 AM appears mid-sky, leaving Earth’s shadow |
S → SE → E | 17° | 5:11 AM sets E |
Moderate |
| Tomorrow morning Thu, Oct 15 |
6:42 AM rises WSW |
WSW → NW → NE | 45° | 6:49 AM sets NE |
Bright: hard to miss |
| Friday morning Fri, Oct 16 |
5:57 AM appears mid-sky, leaving Earth’s shadow |
SW → NW → NE | 79° | 6:02 AM sets NE |
Bright: hard to miss |
| Saturday morning Sat, Oct 17 |
5:12 AM appears mid-sky, leaving Earth’s shadow |
SW → SE → ENE | 56° | 5:14 AM sets ENE |
Bright: hard to miss |
| Saturday morning Sat, Oct 17 |
6:45 AM rises WNW |
WNW → NNW → NNE | 19° | 6:51 AM sets NNE |
Moderate |
| Sunday morning Sun, Oct 18 |
6:00 AM appears mid-sky, leaving Earth’s shadow |
W → NNW → NNE | 28° | 6:03 AM sets NNE |
Bright: hard to miss |
| Monday morning Mon, Oct 19 |
5:15 AM appears mid-sky, leaving Earth’s shadow |
WSW → NW → NE | 44° | 5:16 AM sets NE |
Bright: hard to miss |
| Monday morning Mon, Oct 19 |
6:50 AM rises NW |
NW → NNW → N | 11° | 6:52 AM sets N |
Faint: low pass |
All times local (PDT). Peak height is degrees above the horizon: 90° is straight overhead; anything over 40° is an easy, high pass.
Times on this page are recomputed daily from the latest published orbital elements (current set is ~24 h old). With fresh elements, pass times are accurate to within a few seconds; they only drift by tens of seconds if the elements go several days stale.
Why it disappears mid-sky
The ISS has no lights of its own: what you see is reflected sunlight. You can only spot it while your sky is dark but the satellite, 250+ miles up, is still catching the sun. The moment its orbit carries it into Earth’s shadow, it fades out within seconds, often high overhead, nowhere near the horizon. Most trackers leave you staring at an empty sky; the tables here print that exact fade-out moment, computed from the same twilight math we use for rocket-launch visibility.
What you’re looking for: a very bright, steady, fast-moving point of light: brighter than any star, no blinking (that’s a plane), crossing the sky west-to-east in three to six minutes. No telescope needed; it’s one of the easiest things in the night sky to see from San Jose, even downtown.
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ISS over San Jose FAQ
What time is the ISS visible from San Jose tonight?
The next visible pass over San Jose, CA is tomorrow morning at 5:09 AM local time. Look S and watch it climb to 17° above the horizon; it stays in view until about 5:11 AM. The full five-day table is on this page.
Why does the ISS suddenly disappear mid-sky?
The station has no lights of its own: you're seeing reflected sunlight. When its orbit carries it into Earth's shadow it fades out within seconds, often while still high overhead. The pass table on this page lists that exact fade-out moment for every pass over San Jose; most trackers don't.
How accurate are these ISS pass times?
They're recomputed every day from the latest published orbital elements. With fresh elements, pass times are accurate to within a few seconds; if the elements go several days stale they can drift by tens of seconds. Directions and peak heights barely change either way.