When is the ISS visible tonight?

Pick your city for tonight’s exact ISS pass times — when it appears, which way to look, how high it climbs, and the moment it vanishes into Earth’s shadow. Recomputed every day from the latest orbital elements.

Big cities — tonight at a glance

Why it disappears mid-sky

The ISS has no lights of its own — what you see is reflected sunlight. You can only spot it while your sky is dark but the satellite, 250+ miles up, is still catching the sun. The moment its orbit carries it into Earth’s shadow, it fades out within seconds — often high overhead, nowhere near the horizon. Most trackers leave you staring at an empty sky; the tables here print that exact fade-out moment, computed from the same twilight math we use for rocket-launch visibility.

If you relied on NASA’s Spot the Station email alerts (now retired), this is the same answer with more honesty: every city page shows a five-day table with the direction to look, peak height, brightness — and the exact moment the station slips into Earth’s shadow.

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About a day ahead, with the direction to look. Only for launches that actually clear your horizon.

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All cities

Alabama

California

Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Louisiana

Maryland

New Jersey

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

Texas

Virginia

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