NASA’s Swift satellite, which is gradually losing altitude ahead of its atmospheric reentry, can be seen from Puerto Rico as a bright moving point resembling a star on Saturday and Sunday nights, according to the Sociedad de Astronomía del Caribe (SAC). The first viewing window is Saturday, October 31, between 7:04 and 7:06 PM, looking toward the western horizon.
The second is Sunday, November 1, between 6:46 and 6:48 PM, looking toward the southwest. The SAC noted these may be the satellite’s last visible passes over the Caribbean region before reentry. The organization estimates Swift will reenter Earth’s atmosphere between November 3 and 6, with the highest probability during the night of Wednesday, November 4.
The exact location cannot yet be pinpointed, though disintegration is more likely over the ocean. Land areas preliminarily in the potential path include South America, southern Africa, and areas near Thailand and Malaysia, with lower probability for Central America, Australia, and India. The SAC said atmospheric friction will likely disintegrate almost the entire spacecraft, making the chance of fragments reaching the surface extremely low, though not impossible. Estimated dates, times, and location may change as altitude data updates.