See the space station tonight
The International Space Station is one of the brightest things in the night sky, and you can see it with just your eyes. What’s That Star tells you when it passes over you, where to look, and points you right to it.
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Working out your sky…
What you’ll see
A bright, steady white light moving smoothly across the sky, faster than a plane and with no blinking lights. A good pass lasts a few minutes. At its best the ISS outshines every star and planet except Venus, and it sometimes fades out in mid-sky as it enters Earth’s shadow.
When you can see it
The ISS is visible when it’s in sunlight and your sky is dark, which means the first couple of hours after sunset or before sunrise. Depending on the time of year, you might get several good passes in a week, then a stretch with none at convenient hours.
How to watch a pass
- Check the next visible pass above, or in the ISS details in the sky view.
- Tap Add to calendar to get a reminder 10 minutes before.
- A few minutes early, open whatsthatstar.com/iss and tap Find it in the sky.
- Follow the arrow until the ISS is in the circle, then look up.
Watch it with family and friends
Tap Share this pass and everyone gets the time and a link that points them to the ISS from wherever they are. Anyone who lives far away gets their own pass times instead.
The ISS by the numbers
- Flies about 250 miles up
- Travels at roughly 17,500 mph
- Circles Earth about every 90 minutes
- Has had people on board continuously since 2000
Questions
Can you see the ISS without a telescope?
Yes. It’s easy to see with just your eyes when it passes over in the evening or early morning.
How do I tell the ISS from a plane?
Planes have blinking colored lights. The ISS is a steady white light that crosses the sky in a few minutes without blinking.
Why did the ISS disappear in the middle of the sky?
It flew into Earth’s shadow. It’s still there, just no longer lit by the Sun.
Where is the ISS right now?
Open the ISS in the sky view to see exactly where it is compared with where you are, even when it’s below your horizon.