How to See the International Space Station Tonight

The International Space Station is the easiest satellite to spot in the night sky — and you don’t need a telescope, binoculars, or any special equipment. It looks like a bright, steady star moving smoothly across the sky, and a typical pass takes just 3–6 minutes from horizon to horizon.

What Does the ISS Look Like?

The ISS appears as a bright white dot moving steadily across the sky. It doesn’t blink or flash like an airplane — that’s the easiest way to tell it apart from aircraft. At its brightest, it outshines every star and planet in the sky, rivaling Venus.

It moves at about 17,500 mph in orbit, but from the ground, it appears to glide smoothly across the sky over several minutes. A typical visible pass lasts 2–6 minutes depending on the geometry.

When Can You See It?

The ISS is only visible during a specific window:

• Shortly after sunset or before sunrise — when the sky is dark but the station is still in sunlight high above.
• The best passes happen during civil and nautical twilight, roughly 20–90 minutes after sunset or before sunrise.
• The station orbits Earth every 90 minutes, but it’s only visible when the angles align: you need darkness on the ground and sunlight on the station.

You won’t see it in the middle of the night because Earth’s shadow blocks the sunlight from reaching the station.

Where to Look

Each ISS pass has three key moments:

1. Rise — the station appears above the horizon, usually getting brighter as it climbs
2. Peak — the highest point in the sky (measured in degrees above the horizon). Higher is better — 60°+ passes go almost straight overhead
3. Set — the station fades and disappears, often mid-sky as it enters Earth’s shadow

Use the LaunchSight pass predictor to get exact times and directions for your location. The tool shows you exactly where to look in the sky.

Tips for a Great Sighting

• Check the elevation: Passes above 40° are excellent. Below 20° may be hard to spot near the horizon.
• Look for the quality rating: 3-star passes (60°+) are the most spectacular — the station passes nearly overhead.
• Give your eyes time to adjust: Spend 5 minutes outside without looking at your phone screen before the pass starts.
• Face the rise direction: Start looking in the direction the pass will appear a couple of minutes before the predicted time.
• Steady light = satellite: If it blinks, it’s an airplane. The ISS shines with a steady, unwavering light.

With Binoculars

If you have binoculars (7x50 or 10x50 are ideal), try tracking the ISS during a high-elevation pass. With steady hands, you can sometimes make out the station’s shape — the solar panels give it a distinctive golden cross appearance.

This works best during passes above 60° when the station is closest and moving more slowly relative to you.

How Often is the ISS Visible?

The ISS passes over most populated areas multiple times per day, but only some of those passes are visible. You typically get several good viewing opportunities per week, clustered in multi-day windows as the orbital geometry shifts.

During peak windows, you might see the ISS 2–3 times in a single evening as it completes multiple orbits.

What’s on the ISS?

The International Space Station is a football-field-sized laboratory orbiting 250 miles above Earth. It’s been continuously occupied since November 2000 and typically hosts 6–7 crew members from agencies including NASA, ESA, JAXA, and Roscosmos.

When you watch it cross the sky, you’re seeing a $150 billion spacecraft the size of a house, traveling fast enough to circle the entire planet in 90 minutes.

Get Alerts

Don’t want to miss the next pass? Use the LaunchSight Tonight tool to see all upcoming passes from your location, or download the app for push notifications before each visible pass.