Live satellite map & ISS pass predictor
A free satellite tracker that shows hundreds of satellites moving across a live map, with the International Space Station highlighted. Positions are computed right in your browser from up-to-date orbital elements, so the satellites glide smoothly in real time. Tap any one for its altitude, speed and orbit, switch on the Starlink constellation, or use the pass predictor to find out exactly when the ISS will be visible from your own location.
How to use the satellite tracker
Hundreds of satellites move across the map in real time. The ISS is the labelled white dot; colours show whether an orbit is low, medium or geostationary.
Click any dot for its name, altitude in kilometres, orbital speed and orbit class, plus its NORAD catalogue number.
Press “ISS passes over me” and allow location. The tool lists the next passes that should be visible from your spot, with the time, peak elevation and direction.
Toggle Starlink to add the constellation to the map and watch the satellites stream across in their orbital planes.
See satellites overhead and when the ISS flies over you
Orbital data: CelesTrak (TLE); positions are computed in your browser with SGP4. Whether a pass is actually visible also depends on clear skies. Map © OpenStreetMap & CARTO.
When a pass makes it into the list
A satellite flying over you is not the same as a satellite you can see. The list only keeps passes that satisfy all four conditions at once.
| Condition | What is required |
|---|---|
| The satellite is lit by the Sun | Otherwise it is inside the Earth’s shadow and stays invisible even passing straight overhead. |
| It is dark where you are | The Sun must be more than 6° below the horizon — twilight or night. |
| Height above the horizon | Above 15°: lower than that, houses and trees are in the way. |
| Search window | 72 hours ahead; the five nearest passes are shown. |
Where the data comes from
- The map carries three sets: satellites visible to the naked eye, crewed stations (the ISS and others) and Starlink.
- Orbital elements come from CelesTrak and are refreshed every three hours; if the source is unreachable, the last successful set is used, up to a day old.
- Positions are computed by your browser with the SGP4 model. A TLE describes the orbit as of its publication, so the older the elements, the further the prediction drifts from reality — and the tool knows nothing about clouds: it answers “geometrically visible”, not “the sky will be clear”.
