Skywatchers in Cairo are set for a rare celestial display at dawn on Wednesday, when the International Space Station (ISS) makes a bright, naked-eye pass across the city’s skies.
The transit is expected to last more than five minutes, making it one of the clearest sightings this month.
According to astronomical data, the station will first appear at 4:33am Cairo time in the southwest at a relatively low altitude.
It will then climb steadily, reaching peak brightness around 4:36am as it moves higher in the sky, becoming easily visible above buildings and other obstacles.
The ISS will continue its rapid path before disappearing over the northeastern horizon at 4:39 am, completing a visible journey of roughly five and a half minutes.
Toward the end of the pass, its brightness will gradually fade as the station enters the Earth’s shadow—a normal effect caused by the angle of sunlight during dawn twilight—though it will remain in orbit.
The ISS is among the brightest human-made objects in the night sky, reflecting sunlight off its large solar panels and making it clearly visible during such early morning or evening passes.
