About OrbitLive
Live satellite and ISS tracking with pass predictions for your location.
What this is
Right now there are thousands of working satellites circling Earth, plus tens of thousands of tracked pieces of debris. Each one follows a predictable orbit, so if you know where it is and how fast it’s moving you can calculate exactly where it will be minutes or days from now — and whether it will fly over your backyard tonight.
OrbitLive takes the public catalog of orbital data — Two-Line Element sets, or TLEs, published by CelesTrak — and propagates each object forward with the standard SGP4 model to compute its live position and ground track. The result is a real-time map of the sky overhead, the International Space Station included, with pass predictions for your location.
Learn the basics
All articles →- 🛰️ Orbits explained: LEO, MEO and GEOWhy altitude sets a satellite’s speed and job — from the low, fast orbits of the ISS and Starlink to the parked-in-place geostationary belt.
- 🧑🚀 The International Space StationWhat the ISS is, how fast and how high it flies, who lives aboard, and why it’s the easiest spacecraft to spot with the naked eye.
- 🔭 How to spot satellites and the ISSThe dawn-and-dusk trick that makes satellites visible, what a “pass” is, how to read magnitude, and how to tell a satellite from a plane.
- 💥 Space debris and orbital trafficOrbital decay and reentry, the growing cloud of debris, the Kessler-syndrome risk of cascading collisions, and crowding from megaconstellations.
A practical guide to spotting satellites and the ISS
You don’t need a telescope — just clear skies, a dark spot and a pass prediction. Follow these steps to catch the ISS and bright satellites overhead.
Pick the right time
- Aim for the hour or two after dusk or before dawn, when satellites overhead are sunlit but the ground around you is already dark.
- Check OrbitLive for the next pass at your location — note the start time, the direction to look, and the maximum elevation it will reach.
Find a good spot and look up
- Get away from streetlights and tall obstructions, and give your eyes a few minutes to adapt to the dark for fainter satellites.
- Face the part of the sky the prediction names; a high overhead pass is brighter and lasts longer than one that skims the horizon.
Know what you’re seeing
- Look for a steady, non-blinking point of light gliding in a straight line — the ISS can outshine every star, and watch for the “train” of dots after a Starlink launch.
- If it blinks or shows colored lights it’s an aircraft; a satellite often simply fades out mid-sky as it slips into Earth’s shadow.
Data sources
- CelesTrak — Public catalog of orbital data (TLE / GP element sets) for satellites and debris, the source OrbitLive propagates for live positions and passes.
- Space-Track.org — The official US government catalog of tracked space objects and orbital data, maintained by the 18th Space Defense Squadron.
- NASA — Spot the Station — Official ISS sighting information, including viewing tips and pass times by location.
Frequently asked
- Can you really see satellites with the naked eye?
- Yes. Many satellites — and the ISS especially — are easily visible without any equipment. They look like steady, fast-moving stars that don’t blink, crossing the sky in a few minutes around dawn or dusk.
- When is the best time to look for the ISS?
- In the hour or two after sunset or before sunrise. The station is still in sunlight while you’re in darkness, so it shines brightly; in the middle of the night it sits in Earth’s shadow and can’t be seen. Use a pass prediction for your exact location.
- How fast and how high does the ISS travel?
- About 400 km up, moving at roughly 28,000 km/h — around 7.7 km per second. At that speed it laps the Earth every 90 minutes or so, giving the crew about 16 sunrises and sunsets a day.
- How do I tell a satellite from an airplane?
- A satellite is a single, steady point of light with no blinking and no red or green navigation lights. It glides in a straight line and often fades out mid-sky as it enters Earth’s shadow, rather than flying past the horizon.
- How accurate are the pass predictions?
- They’re computed from the latest published orbital data (TLEs) propagated with the standard SGP4 model, so they’re reliable for the next day or two. Accuracy drifts as the data ages, which is why fresh TLEs matter for low, fast satellites.
⚠️ Important
OrbitLive is an informational tracking service, not an official space-situational-awareness authority. Positions and pass times are estimates propagated from public orbital data, which ages and can be incomplete; cloud cover, light pollution and stale data can all affect what you actually see.