ISS Spotting Guide: How to Track the Space Station Tonight

The ISS appears as a brilliant, steady white light moving smoothly across the sky. Unlike airplanes, it has no blinking lights. Unlike satellites, it's bright enough to see even during dusk or from light-polluted cities.

Key visual characteristics:

• Bright as Venus (magnitude -3 to -5 during favorable passes)
• Moves from west to east
• Takes 3-6 minutes to cross the sky
• Appears to rise from one horizon and set on another
• Completely silent

At good angles, the ISS outshines every star in the sky. It's an unmistakable sight once you know what you're looking for.

The ISS orbits Earth every 92 minutes, but it's not visible on every pass. You need three conditions:

1. Timing The station must pass over your location during the 1-2 hours after sunset or before sunrise. During this window, you're in darkness but the ISS catches sunlight.

2. Altitude Higher passes (60°+ above the horizon) are brighter and longer. Low passes (under 20°) may be blocked by buildings or trees.

3. Clear skies Obviously! Check our Dashboard for real-time cloud cover.

Use our ISS tracker to see tonight's passes for your location.

Step-by-step guide:

1. Get pass times for your location

   • Use our Dashboard to see ISS passes
   • NASA's "Spot the Station" sends email/text alerts
   • Apps like ISS Detector provide notifications

2. Set up early

   • Go outside 5 minutes before the predicted time
   • Face the direction of appearance (usually west for evening passes)
   • Let your eyes adjust to the dimness

3. Watch for movement

   • The ISS will appear as a bright point rising from the horizon
   • It moves noticeably faster than stars
   • Track it across the sky until it fades (enters shadow) or sets

Pro tip: The ISS can appear to "fade out" mid-sky as it enters Earth's shadow. This is normal during late evening passes!

Capturing the ISS is surprisingly easy:

Basic Star Trail Method:

• Camera on tripod
• 10-30 second exposure
• ISO 400-800
• Wide aperture (f/4 or faster)
• Result: ISS appears as a bright streak among star trails

Multiple Exposure Composite:

• Take many 1-2 second exposures
• Stack in software to show ISS path
• Stars remain as points

Advanced: ISS Transit Photography With precise timing, you can photograph the ISS crossing the Sun or Moon. This requires:

• Telescope with solar filter (for Sun transits)
• Video mode at high frame rate
• Exact position based on transit calculator

ISS transits last only 0.5-1 second, so timing and location are critical.

Binoculars (7x-10x): At higher magnification, the ISS shows a distinct shape—you can see the solar panels extending from the central modules. It's small but clearly not a point of light.

Telescope: With a telescope, skilled observers can resolve the actual structure of the ISS: the solar arrays, modules, and even visiting spacecraft. This requires:

• GoTo mount with ISS tracking mode
• Practice tracking fast-moving objects
• Good seeing conditions

What you can see:

• Solar panels clearly extending from central body
• General "H" or cross shape
• Docked spacecraft (Crew Dragon, Soyuz)
• Color differences between modules

Once you've spotted the ISS, you'll start noticing other satellites:

Starlink Trains SpaceX's internet satellites are famous for appearing in "trains" after launch—dozens of bright points in a line. Use our Dashboard to check for recent Starlink launches.

Iridium Flares (Historical) The original Iridium satellites produced brilliant flares (up to magnitude -8!), but the new constellation doesn't flare. You may still catch occasional glints from other satellites.

Tiangong (Chinese Space Station) China's station is dimmer than the ISS but still visible. Track it the same way.

Random Satellites On any clear night, you'll see dozens of satellites if you're patient. Most are 3rd-5th magnitude, visible from dark sites.

Identifying What You See: Apps like Stellarium and SkySafari can identify satellites in real-time using your phone's camera. Point at a moving light and it'll tell you what it is.

Checklist for tonight:

• Check pass times on our Dashboard
• Verify clear skies
• Note the direction of appearance
• Set a reminder 10 minutes before
• Go outside and watch the sky!

Best conditions:

• High passes (60°+ elevation)
• Clear skies
• Shortly after sunset

Quick facts:

• Orbits at 250 miles altitude
• Travels at 17,500 mph
• Circles Earth every 92 minutes
• Crew of typically 7 astronauts
• Size of a football field

The ISS is humanity's outpost in space, visible from almost anywhere on Earth. Every bright pass is a chance to wave at astronauts as they fly overhead.