International Space Station will grace southern sky

The International Space Station, weather permitting, will put on a show here never seen on the mainland.

On May 13 the space station will rise in the southwest and head low to the west at about 6:26 p.m.

It will pass between the Southern Cross, not visible in North America, and Alpha Centauri, the closest star to our own at 4.3 light-years.

It will blink out at about 6:30 p.m. as it enters Earth’s shadow.

The space station, about 250 miles up, is visible in the pre-dawn and post-sunset hours when it is illuminated by the sun. It orbits at 17,000 mph.

Aboard are U.S. astronaut Chris Cassidy and two Russians.