ISS Station Tracker

Using this tracker

Check the UTC timestamp before interpreting the marker. Refreshes are requested about every five seconds after each response, but a provider outage or rate limit can delay them. An amber warning means the last received position should not be treated as current.

Turn off “Following station” to pan freely. The blue line records samples received during your visit, not a complete orbit. Tracks are split at the map’s date-line boundary to avoid drawing a false line across the world.

The dashed path connects ten predicted samples across two hours. The lines between those samples are approximate: use them to understand the direction of travel, not to time a pass over a specific point.

What the readings do — and do not — mean

Latitude and longitude describe the ground position, while altitude is height above Earth. These provider estimates can change with orbital updates; they are not measurements made by this website.

The provider’s illumination field describes sunlight or shadow at the station. A “daylight” reading does not mean the ISS is visible from your city. Local sky brightness, elevation and the observer’s location also matter.

The optional crew listing comes from a separate public feed and may lag arrivals and departures. A missing listing does not mean the station is empty.

Planning an observation

A nearby ground track does not guarantee a visible pass. Use a forecast for your exact observing location, check its local time zone, then compare direction and elevation with your horizon. Weather and buildings may block an otherwise visible pass.

Read our satellite-spotting guide and our introduction to the ISS.