When will I see the ISS from my place?
Type a location (or use browser GPS) and the tool lists the next 5 times the International Space Station will fly over you in the next 48 hours. For each fly-over you get the start time, the peak time and how high overhead it will pass, the end time, and a clear visible / partial / not visible label.
The ISS is the brightest moving object in the night sky after the Moon. When the conditions are right it looks like a steady, fast-moving bright star that crosses the sky in 6 to 10 minutes. No telescope needed - your eyes are enough.
How to use it
- Click "Use my location" (the browser will ask for permission) or pick a spot on the map below.
- You can also pick one of the sample chips (Warszawa, NYC, Tokyo, Sydney) or type lat/lng by hand.
- In a moment you will see a list of the next 5 passes within 48 hours. Each card shows the start time, the culmination (peak), the end time, the duration in minutes and a direction (e.g. NW → SE).
- The green "visible" badge means: at this pass the ISS will be lit by the Sun while you are in the dark - so it will look like a moving bright star. "Partial" means borderline conditions. "Not visible" means the ISS is up there but you will not see it (daylight or ISS in Earth's shadow).
- Tap "Copy JSON" to get the raw prediction payload (handy for scripts or your own apps).
When this is useful
Six ordinary moments when knowing tonight's ISS pass actually pays off:
- A 6-minute show for the kids. Step outside, point at the sky, and watch what looks like a fast star cross from one horizon to the other. Tell them: there are seven people inside it, right now, going 27,600 km/h.
- A photo trail of the ISS. Set the camera on a tripod, 30-second exposure, point at the predicted peak direction. You get a clean white streak across the stars - the most achievable "space photo" you will ever take.
- A romantic outdoor moment. Plan to be outside exactly when the pass starts. Knowing the timing turns a normal evening into something memorable.
- Amateur astronomy planning. The same conditions that make the ISS visible (clear skies, observer in twilight) are good for any naked-eye star-gazing.
- Spotting "satellite trains" in confusion. When you see a chain of bright lights you might think it is the ISS. With the predictor you can rule that out - Starlink trains move slower, in a string; the ISS is one bright dot moving alone.
- School / scout activities. A predictable, free, naked-eye astronomy demo with absolutely zero equipment.
Related tools: astronomical clock (sunrise / golden hour for your spot), world clock (line up the timing with friends in another city), solar irradiance, air quality (haze that hides faint passes).