International Space Station flying over Raleigh, NC

Residents of North Carolina's capital city were treated to an amazing view of the International Space Station, as it crossed the skies over Raleigh on February 19th.  Traveling at 17,500 miles per hour, it took the ISS just a little over five minutes to pass over the city's skyline, appearing in the Northwest and transiting through its peak in the Northeast, before finally disappearing on an East-Southeast heading.  Not even the moon, which is just three days shy of reaching full illumination, could dim the appearance of the space station as it passed overhead.

The ISS will be visible in the skies over North Carolina for three additional nights this month, February 20, 21 and 23, though none of those passes are forecast to be as bright as this evening's flight.

Spectators interested in spotting the ISS overhead can sign up for alerts from NASA's Spot the Station service, and can also use third parties websites such as Astroviewer to predict high visibility passes.