Give yourself a head start
Check the date, time zone and weather, then head outside a few minutes early. Find a clear view away from buildings and trees.
Your window to the space station
What Time Will the Space Station Be Visible Tonight?
Your next look at orbit
A few unforgettable minutes above you. Find when to look, which way to face and how the space station will cross your sky.
1Choose a location2Find your time3Look up
Preparing your ISS tools…
See What Time the ISS Will Be Visible Tonight
Choose a location in the finder above to get an answer for your own sky. Select Tonight & early morning for this viewing night, or Next 48 hours to look farther ahead. City presets select their local time zone; device location uses device time. Every result names the zone so you can check the date and time before going out.
The estimated viewing interval combines the ISS being above your selected elevation, outside full Earth shadow and the Sun at least six degrees below your horizon. The complete flyover is shown separately: the station can become sunlit partway through or enter shadow before it sets.
Viewing the Space Station Tonight
Know where to look
Note the starting compass direction and preview the sky arc. Its center is overhead; the outside ring is your horizon. Replay the path before going out.
Follow a moving point of light
Look for a steady point of light crossing the sky. It can fade as it enters Earth’s shadow, so use the viewing interval rather than expecting it to reach the far horizon.
Plan Your Space Station Flyover
The interactive sky preview shows where to turn your eyes. Switch to Ground track to connect that local view with one full orbit around the flyover. They answer different questions; use the sky view when you are standing outside.
Add flyover to calendar downloads a file for the complete pass above your elevation limit. Share pass shows a privacy notice before making a link with an approximate location. Both are optional and leave your account and favorites unchanged.
No sighting this time?
Try the next 48 hours or revisit after the orbital file refreshes. Lowering the elevation limit reveals more of the horizon, but cannot remove buildings, weather or Earth’s shadow.
See where the ISS is nowISS Viewing Questions
When will the ISS pass over me?
Choose your location and calculate the next 48 hours. The results show your local dates, estimated viewing intervals and compass directions. The full flyover is also listed separately: the station can be above your horizon before it becomes sunlit, or remain there after it enters shadow.
Which night does Tonight & early morning mean?
The date range is printed above your results. Before 6 a.m. in the chosen time zone, it means the current night; otherwise it means the coming night. A viewing night groups local noon through noon the following day, so after-midnight and early-morning opportunities stay together. Next 48 hours shows the full forecast instead.
Why are there no visible ISS passes tonight?
There may be no flyover above your selected elevation, or the station may pass in daylight or Earth’s shadow. Try Next 48 hours, check your coordinates and time zone, or lower the elevation limit if your horizon is clear. No result in this short forecast does not describe all future viewing opportunities.
What does the maximum elevation mean?
It is an angle above your horizon, rather than the station’s height in kilometres. Zero degrees is the horizon; 90 degrees is straight overhead. A higher viewing path can be easier to follow above nearby obstructions. The listed compass bearings describe where to start and finish looking.
Can I see the space station without a telescope?
Yes, a suitable ISS pass can be watched with unaided eyes. Find an open view, note the direction and time, and look for a steady moving point of light. A telescope is not needed to enjoy the flyover; identifying structural detail is a different task.
Why can the ISS disappear before reaching the horizon?
The station can move into Earth’s shadow while it is still high in your sky. It then stops reflecting direct sunlight. Our viewing estimate checks sunlight separately from the geometric flyover, so a potential viewing window may end earlier than the full pass.
Are tonight’s times in my local time zone?
A city preset selects that city’s time zone. Device location uses your device’s zone. Manual coordinates keep the displayed zone, which you can edit under observing options. The result explicitly names the zone and includes the date; daylight-saving changes use the browser’s time-zone database.
Can you guarantee that a listed pass will be visible?
A potential viewing window is a prediction, not a guarantee. This tool checks orbital geometry, a dark-enough sky and station illumination. It does not forecast clouds, haze, brightness, buildings or terrain. Older orbital elements and maneuvers can also affect timing. Check conditions and recalculate before heading outside.
Can I use this to identify a light I saw last week?
This page forecasts upcoming passes using the current cached orbital elements. It does not reconstruct historical sightings. Reliable checks far into the past require the appropriate historical orbit data, rather than simply moving today’s prediction backward.
Data, Timing and Sources
ISS predictions use NORAD 25544 orbital elements from our existing daily Space-Track data file and the SGP4 model. This page caches a small ISS snapshot and checks for a refreshed snapshot about once an hour when visited. Browser calculations do not fetch new orbit data every second. Reload before observing; a recently loaded page can still contain older measurements.
Element epoch: 2026-10-29 13:31:42 UTC.
Source file last modified: 2026-10-30 16:00:43 UTC.
This is an independent tracking utility. Viewing predictions are estimates, with no weather or brightness forecast. Mission background and observing guidance draw on the official sources below.