Update for Friday:
The Space-X Inspiration 4 spacecraft will be visible from LaSalle County again tonight. And then the International Space Station will pass through the sky too on almost exactly the same path.
According to the satellite tracking tools at www.heavens-above.com, Inspiration 4 will enter our sky from the west southwest at 8:46pm. It will pass near the bright orange star Arcturus at 8:48. At its highest at 8:50, the craft will be in the north northwest approaching the Little Dipper. It will continue to the northeast and fade into Earth’s shadow at 8:52.
Moments later, the International Space Station will follow nearly the same path. It will enter the sky from the west southwest at 8:49pm, pass near Arcturus at 8:51, and reach its highest point in the sky in the north northwest at 8:52. It will fade into earth’s shadow in the north while still near the Little Dipper.
Both objects will resemble stars except that they’ll move across the sky. ISS will appear brighter because it’s bigger and has more surfaces to reflect sunlight from. It’s also moving faster because of its lower orbit. Both objects may be hard to see when they’re near the horizon. And if you are near bright outdoor lights, you will need to turn them off or go to a darker place to see the spacecraft.
The story published Thursday (all time references are for Thursday:
People in north central Illinois will have a chance to see the Space-X Inspiration 4 space capsule that has a crew of civilian astronauts on board. It will appear in the west southwest at 8:43pm tonight. As it crosses the sky, it will be highest in the north northwest three minutes later. It will go to the northeast part of the sky and fade into Earth’s shadow two minutes later.
The capsule will appear as a dot slowly moving across the sky among the stars. It’s expected to be somewhat dim, so it’s essential to be away from bright lights that ruin the night skies.
Information in this story is from Heavens Above.