Cairenes to observe international space station passing over at dawn on Wednesday

CAIRO - 13 April 2026: The skies over the Egyptian capital, Cairo, will witness the passage of the International Space Station (ISS) at dawn on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

 

This bright display is considered one of the best and clearest sightings of the month, lasting for more than five minutes and easily visible to the naked eye, even from within residential areas.

 

The Jeddah Astronomical Society revealed in a report that, according to astronomical tracking data, the station will first appear at 4:33:46 AM Cairo time, rising from the south-southwest horizon at a relatively low altitude of about 17 degrees.

 

As it continues its rapid movement across the sky, it will reach its peak brightness and altitude at 4:36:00 AM at an angle of 63 degrees towards the south-southeast.

 

This high altitude places it in an ideal position, free from obstructions such as buildings and trees, before it continues its trajectory until it disappears over the northeastern horizon at 4:39:21 AM, after a visible journey of approximately five minutes and 35 seconds.

 

To observers, the station appears as a fixed white point of light moving at a steady speed across the sky without flickering, unlike airplanes, due to its low orbit around Earth at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers.

 

Its orbital speed is about 28,000 kilometers per hour, enabling it to complete a full orbit around the Earth in about 90 minutes.

 

Observing this event does not require telescopes or binoculars; the naked eye is the best way to track its rapid movement among the stars.