ISS Live Tracker & Overhead Pass Predictor
Track the International Space Station in real time, view orbital ground tracks, and calculate upcoming visible overhead passes.
Equirectangular Orbital Projection
Inclination: 51.6° • Period: 92.6 minsVisible Overhead Pass Predictions
Select your city to view upcoming high-elevation evening and dawn viewing windows.
| Date & Time (Local) | Max Elevation | Duration | Pass Trajectory | Visual Brightness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonight, 20:42 | 78° (Direct Overhead) | 5m 45s | WSW to ENE | -3.6 (Extremely Bright) |
| Tomorrow, 21:30 | 34° (High Horizon) | 4m 10s | W to NNE | -2.1 (Bright) |
| Thursday, 19:54 | 62° (High Overhead) | 6m 02s | SW to ENE | -3.4 (Very Bright) |
Expedition Crew Currently in Orbit
Human astronauts and cosmonauts living and conducting science experiments aboard the station.
How the International Space Station Orbits the Earth
The International Space Station maintains a low Earth orbit (LEO) with an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees to the equator, allowing supply spacecraft launched from both Cape Canaveral and Baikonur Cosmodrome to rendezvous efficiently.
16 Sunrises and Sunsets
Traveling at nearly 5 miles per second, the ISS completes one revolution around Earth every 92 minutes, experiencing day and night cycles 16 times per day.
Why Ground Tracks Shift West
As the ISS completes each 92-minute orbit, the Earth rotates beneath it eastward by approximately 22.5 degrees of longitude, shifting consecutive ground track waves westward.
Atmospheric Drag & Re-Boosts
Residual atmospheric particles gradually decay the station's altitude by roughly 100 meters per day, requiring periodic thruster re-boosts by docked Progress or Cygnus cargo ships.
About this tool
How to use it
- Observe the real-time telemetry dashboard updating the International Space Station's latitude, longitude, speed, and altitude every second.
- Track the orbital ground track path across the interactive 2D world projection map with day/night illumination.
- Select your city or enter geographic coordinates in the Overhead Pass Predictor to compute upcoming visible passes.
- Check maximum elevation angles (degrees above horizon), compass entry/exit headings, and expected duration.
- View the current Expedition crew manifest and docked spacecraft status.
Why it matters
The International Space Station orbits Earth every 92.6 minutes at 17,500 mph (28,000 km/h) at an altitude of approximately 420 km. Because it reflects sunlight brightly against a twilight sky, it is often visible to the naked eye as a fast-moving star with magnitude rivaling Venus. This tool allows stargazers and educators to track its exact orbital trajectory and predict prime backyard viewing passes.
When to use it
Use when planning evening or morning stargazing sessions to spot the ISS, tracking crew mission rotations, teaching orbital mechanics and satellite inclinations, or calculating overhead visibility windows.
Common questions
What does the ISS look like in the night sky?
To the naked eye, the ISS looks like an extremely bright, non-blinking star or steady white point of light moving swiftly across the sky over 3 to 6 minutes. It does not produce flashing strobe lights like an airplane.
Why is the ISS only visible at dawn or dusk?
The space station is visible from the ground when the observer is in twilight darkness while the station (hundreds of kilometers high) is illuminated by direct sunlight reflecting off its massive solar panel arrays.
What is maximum elevation and why does it matter?
Elevation is measured in degrees from the horizon (0°) to the zenith overhead (90°). Passes with maximum elevations above 40° are brighter, closer, and far easier to see than low-horizon passes obstructed by trees or buildings.
Does this tracker work offline?
Yes! The tracker incorporates high-fidelity Keplerian orbital propagation algorithms that compute continuous orbital positions, ground tracks, and pass predictions locally in your browser.