What did I just see in the sky?
A climbing flame, a single bright moving light, a straight line of dots: here is everything that actually crossed the sky in the last 48 hours: 2 rocket launches, the most recent ISS pass over each big city, and the state of the newest Starlink train.
Missed this one? Get alerted for the next launch you can see
Enter your ZIP or city and we’ll email you about a day before every launch that clears your horizon, with the direction to look.
Click the one confirmation email we send to activate. One-click unsubscribe.
For free area alerts, we store your email, chosen location, alert preferences and delivery history so we can send and manage your alerts. Privacy details.
Free email alert + a note if the date moves ✓ what you’re signing up for now
Pro a text when it’s a go and before liftoff (delivery times vary) · the weather at liftoff in the app · a minute-by-minute where-to-look plan · $19.99/yr or $4.99/mo
Caught this one in person? Sign up free and start your launch log and mark this one as seen →
Free · no account needed
Rockets launched in the last 48 hours
A fast-climbing flame, a glowing cone or "jellyfish" of exhaust, or a bright spark trailing a contrail: if you saw one of those, it was probably a launch. Each link opens that launch’s recap: which cities could see it and how far the glow carried.
Next one: see every upcoming launch graded for a jellyfish →
Bright lights over the big cities: ISS passes, last 48 hours
| City | Passed at | Path | Peak height | How it ended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | 5:53 AM Wed, Oct 14 (PDT) | SW → SE → NE | 68° | set NE 6:00 AM |
| San Diego, CA | 5:53 AM Wed, Oct 14 (PDT) | SW → NW → NE | 88° | set NE 5:59 AM |
| San Jose, CA | 5:53 AM Wed, Oct 14 (PDT) | SSW → SE → ENE | 29° | set ENE 5:59 AM |
| Philadelphia, PA | 5:48 AM Wed, Oct 14 (EDT) | S → SE → E | 21° | set E 5:54 AM |
| Washington, DC | 5:48 AM Wed, Oct 14 (EDT) | S → SE → E | 20° | set E 5:53 AM |
| Baltimore, MD | 5:48 AM Wed, Oct 14 (EDT) | S → SE → E | 20° | set E 5:53 AM |
| Jacksonville, FL | 5:47 AM Wed, Oct 14 (EDT) | SSW → SE → ENE | 30° | set ENE 5:51 AM |
| Miami, FL | 5:47 AM Wed, Oct 14 (EDT) | SSW → SE → NE | 63° | set NE 5:51 AM |
| Tampa, FL | 5:47 AM Wed, Oct 14 (EDT) | SSW → SE → ENE | 36° | set ENE 5:51 AM |
| Orlando, FL | 5:47 AM Wed, Oct 14 (EDT) | SSW → SE → ENE | 38° | set ENE 5:51 AM |
Most recent watchable pass per city in the last 48 hours, local time. A single very bright, steady, non-blinking light crossing the whole sky in three to six minutes was almost certainly this. Within ~100 miles of a listed city, times shift by only a few minutes. Five-day pass tables for 94 cities.
The line of lights: the newest Starlink train
The most recent Starlink group, 2026-159 (~24 satellites), has already dispersed along its orbit; it reads as individual moving dots now, not a line. So a tight, evenly spaced string of lights probably wasn’t Starlink tonight; the next Falcon 9 Starlink launch creates the next train. Current train status and pass times →
The next visible one
Falcon 9 Block 5 | USSF-481 (SpaceX) is up next: tomorrow, Oct 15, 2026, 7:44 PM ET, from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA. See whether it will be visible from where you are →
More launch schedules
Today · Tonight · This week · Jellyfish launches · Full schedule
Saw a red or pink glow? Aurora, or something else · Northern lights tonight, city by city
What did I just see? FAQ
What was the bright light in the sky just now?
If it was a single steady light crossing the whole sky in a few minutes with no blinking, it was almost certainly the ISS or another satellite; the pass table above shows the most recent ISS pass over each big city. If it blinked or had red and green lights, it was a plane. If it was a climbing flame, a glowing cone or a comet-like plume, it was a rocket launch: 2 launched in the last 48 hours; see the list above.
What was the line of lights moving across the sky?
Almost certainly a Starlink train: a batch of ~24 internet satellites released together from a single Falcon 9 launch, flying single-file for days afterward. They look like a string of star-bright dots gliding in a perfectly straight line, evenly spaced, no blinking. The most recent group is 2026-159.
What did I just see in the sky?
Work through it: one steady bright light crossing in 3-6 minutes = the ISS or a satellite. A straight line of evenly spaced dots = a Starlink train. A climbing flame, glowing cone or spiral = a rocket launch (check the last-48-hours list on this page). Blinking, or red/green lights = an aircraft. A fast streak lasting under a couple of seconds = a meteor.
Why did it suddenly disappear mid-sky?
Satellites shine by reflected sunlight only. The moment its orbit carried it into Earth’s shadow it faded out within seconds, often high overhead, nowhere near the horizon. The pass table above prints that exact fade-out moment for each pass.