Bright satellites above your sky.
Computed live in your browser from fresh orbital elements — no account, no tracking. Magnitudes correct for atmospheric extinction and Earth's shadow, two refinements most predictors skip.
Where the ISS is right now, where it's heading next, and how to spot it in your sky. Live position, ground track, and orbital details.
Lower numbers mean brighter. Venus reaches −4.6, the ISS hits −4 at peak, and the dimmest stars visible from a typical city sit around +4.
Data freshness
ISS / station TLEs fetched 10s ago (refreshes every 6 hours). Bright-satellite TLEs fetched 10s ago (refreshes daily).
Why our magnitudes differ from competitors
We apply Bouguer's-law atmospheric extinction (~2.5 magnitudes lost at 10° altitude vs zenith) and an Earth-umbra geometric check at peak — two corrections that other free predictors skip. Standard magnitudes come from McCants's empirical database for ~4,100 objects, with curated overrides for post-2020 satellites and a Lambertian-sphere fallback derived from radar cross-section for the rest.