When can I see the ISS over Christchurch tonight?

The next ISS pass over Christchurch starts at 17:25 local time on Friday 16 Oct, reaching 11° above the horizon. It is not visible to the naked eye, though. The next one you can actually see is Friday 16 Oct at 20:37, reaching 26°.

Which direction should I look?

The ISS always moves from roughly west to east. It looks like a very bright, fast, non-blinking star crossing the whole sky in a few minutes.

ISS over Christchurch — next pass times

Upcoming International Space Station passes over Christchurch, New Zealand for the next 3 days, in local Christchurch time — computed from the latest orbital data and refreshed automatically.

🛰 Next ISS pass over Christchurch

Friday 16 Oct · 20:37 ★ · 26°

—:——:——Watch it live in 3D →

🛰 Next visible pass after this one over Christchurch: Fri 16 Oct, 22:15

We'll email you the day before — and before every genuinely visible pass after that. Most crossings happen in daylight; we skip those.

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☁️ Clouded out at 20:37?

3D sky view · track the ISS in real time

Date	Local time	Max height	Lasts	Viewing
Friday 16 Oct	17:25	11°	~3 min	☀ daylight
Friday 16 Oct	18:59	79°	~7 min	☀ daylight
Friday 16 Oct	20:37 visible 20:37–20:42	26°	~6 min	★ good

Friday 16 Oct	22:15	21°	~6 min	possible
Friday 16 Oct	23:52	46°	~7 min	🌑 in Earth's shadow
Saturday 17 Oct	01:29	28°	~6 min	🌑 in Earth's shadow
Saturday 17 Oct	18:12	50°	~7 min	☀ daylight
Saturday 17 Oct	19:49	32°	~7 min	☀ daylight
Saturday 17 Oct	21:27	20°	~6 min	possible
Saturday 17 Oct	23:04	34°	~7 min	★ good
Sunday 18 Oct	00:41	46°	~7 min	🌑 in Earth's shadow
Sunday 18 Oct	17:25	30°	~6 min	☀ daylight
Sunday 18 Oct	19:02	43°	~7 min	☀ daylight
Sunday 18 Oct	20:40	21°	~6 min	possible
Sunday 18 Oct	22:17	27°	~6 min	★ good

When will the International Space Station pass over Christchurch?

ISS stands for the International Space Station — the largest and brightest human-made object in orbit around Earth. Passes over Christchurch above 10° in the next 10 days: 59. Of those, visible to the naked eye: 18.

The next pass of the International Space Station over Christchurch is on Friday 16 Oct at 17:25 local time, reaching 11° above the horizon. The next pass you can actually see is on Friday 16 Oct at 20:37 (26° above the horizon).

How to spot it

Look for a bright, fast “star” that doesn't blink — the ISS outshines everything except the Moon and Venus.
It moves west to east, crossing the whole sky in 3–6 minutes.
Evening and pre-dawn passes are the visible ones — the station must be sunlit while your sky is dark. 1 good window in the next 3 days (marked ★).
Christchurch sits within the ISS's orbital band, so it can pass nearly straight overhead — those 70°+ passes are spectacular.