When is the ISS visible from Virginia Beach tonight?
Tonight at 8:53 PM — look WNW: it emerges as the twilight sky darkens, climbs to 14° above the horizon, crosses toward the N and sets around 8:54 PM.
ISS passes over Virginia Beach, VA — next five days
| When | Appears | Path | Peak height | Gone by | Brightness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonight Mon, Jul 13 |
8:53 PM visible once the sky darkens |
WNW → NNW → N | 14° | 8:54 PM sets N |
Faint — low pass |
| Tomorrow morning Tue, Jul 14 |
12:08 AM rises N |
N → NNE → NNE | 11° | 12:09 AM vanishes into Earth’s shadow |
Faint — low pass |
| Wednesday morning Wed, Jul 15 |
12:55 AM rises NNW |
NNW → NNE → E | 28° | 12:55 AM vanishes into Earth’s shadow |
Bright — hard to miss |
| Thursday morning Thu, Jul 16 |
12:08 AM rises NNW |
NNW → NNE → ENE | 19° | 12:09 AM vanishes into Earth’s shadow |
Moderate |
| Thursday night Thu, Jul 16 |
11:21 PM rises N |
N → NNE → ENE | 14° | 11:23 PM vanishes into Earth’s shadow |
Faint — low pass |
| Friday night Fri, Jul 17 |
10:34 PM rises N |
N → NNE → NNE | 11° | 10:36 PM sets NNE |
Faint — low pass |
| Saturday morning Sat, Jul 18 |
12:10 AM rises NW |
NW → NE → ESE | 45° | 12:10 AM vanishes into Earth’s shadow |
Bright — hard to miss |
All times local (EDT). 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 ~13 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 Virginia Beach, even downtown.
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ISS over Virginia Beach — FAQ
What time is the ISS visible from Virginia Beach tonight?
The next visible pass over Virginia Beach, VA is tonight at 8:53 PM local time. Look WNW and watch it climb to 14° above the horizon; it stays in view until about 8:54 PM. 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 Virginia Beach; 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.