Why is a pass listed but not visible?

A satellite can be above the horizon but invisible — it might be daylight, in Earth's shadow, or too faint. OrbitalNodes checks all three conditions.

What is the best elevation for a satellite pass?

Anything above 40° is excellent. At 80-90° the satellite is at its closest and brightest. A 45-60° pass is often the sweet spot for comfortable viewing.

Satellite Pass Times for Your Location

Q: What does peak elevation mean?

The highest point the satellite reaches during its pass, in degrees above the horizon. 0° is the horizon, 90° is directly overhead. Above 45° is great, above 15° is good.

Q: How long does a satellite pass last?

Typically 3-6 minutes for a high-elevation pass. Low passes under 15° may only be visible for 1-2 minutes. The ISS at 80° elevation gives you the full 6 minutes.

Q: What does "peak elevation" mean?

Peak elevation is the maximum angle above the horizon the satellite reaches during a pass — measured in degrees from 0° (horizon) to 90° (directly overhead). Higher elevation means shorter distance to the satellite, making it brighter and easier to see. Passes above 60° are excellent.

Q: Why is a pass listed but marked "not visible"?

The satellite passes over but is in Earth's shadow — it's not in sunlight so produces no reflected light. This happens more often during passes in the middle of the night. Twilight passes (within 90 minutes of sunrise/sunset) are almost always illuminated.

Q: What are "naked eye" vs "binoculars" passes?

Naked eye passes are magnitude 5 or brighter — visible from suburban skies without equipment. Binoculars passes are magnitude 5-8, requiring optical aid. OrbitalNodes labels each pass so you know what to expect before going outside.

Q: Why did a satellite pass at a different time than predicted?

Satellite orbits decay due to atmospheric drag and are periodically boosted. TLE data (the orbital elements we use) can be a few days old. Timing errors of 30-60 seconds are normal. For precise predictions use the freshest TLE data — OrbitalNodes fetches new data every hour.

Q: What's the best elevation for a satellite pass?

Anything above 40° gives a clear, bright view. Above 70° is excellent — the satellite is nearly overhead, at its shortest distance, and typically reaches peak brightness. Use OrbitalNodes Best Pass feature which automatically finds the highest-elevation pass in the next 7 days.

Know exactly when the next satellite will fly over you — and where to look. OrbitalNodes.ai calculates pass predictions in real time using SGP4 orbital propagation, automatically detecting your location via GPS.

We track 8 major satellites including the ISS, Tiangong, Hubble, Landsat 9, and more. For each one, we predict the next visible pass from your exact location and show a live countdown timer with the direction and elevation in plain English — "Look Northwest, halfway up the sky, in 23 minutes."

Our "Best Pass This Week" feature highlights the single best, brightest, easiest-to-see pass coming up in the next 7 days.

⏱ SEE NEXT PASSES

PASS PREDICTION FAQ

How accurate are satellite pass predictions?

Very accurate for the next few hours — typically within 1-2 seconds for timing and 1-2 degrees for position. Accuracy decreases for passes further into the future because orbits are affected by atmospheric drag, solar activity, and for the ISS, regular orbital boosts. OrbitalNodes uses live TLE data refreshed from CelesTrak and Space-Track multiple times per day.

What does "peak elevation" mean?

The highest point the satellite reaches during its pass, measured in degrees above the horizon — 0° is the horizon, 90° is directly overhead. Higher passes are brighter, longer, and easier to see. OrbitalNodes rates passes above 45° as "great" and above 15° as "good." The diagram above shows the difference visually.

Why is a pass listed but marked "not visible"?

A satellite can be above your horizon but still invisible — it might be daylight, the satellite might be in Earth's shadow (no sunlight to reflect), or it might be too faint for the naked eye. OrbitalNodes checks all three conditions and only highlights passes you can actually go outside and see.

What are "naked eye" vs "binoculars" passes?

Naked eye passes are bright enough to see without equipment — the ISS, Tiangong, and BlueBird-6 at peak can reach magnitude −4, brighter than any star. Binoculars passes are dimmer satellites like BlueBirds 1-5 (magnitude 3) that reward a pair of 7x50 binoculars but are still genuinely impressive to spot.

Why did a satellite pass at a different time than predicted?

Orbital mechanics are affected by atmospheric drag (especially below 500km altitude), solar radiation pressure, and active manoeuvring. The ISS periodically fires thrusters to boost its orbit, which can shift pass times by minutes. Always use a fresh prediction from the day of observation for best accuracy.

How long does a satellite pass last?

Typically 3-6 minutes from horizon to horizon for a high-elevation pass. Low passes (under 15°) may only be visible for 1-2 minutes before dipping back below the horizon or into Earth's shadow. The ISS at 80° elevation gives you the full 6 minutes — plenty of time to find it and watch it cross.

What's the best elevation for a satellite pass?

Anything above 40° is excellent. At 80-90° the satellite passes nearly directly overhead, maximising brightness because it's at its closest point to you — the ISS can appear 4x brighter at 90° than at 15°. The catch is you have to crane your neck — a 45-60° pass is often the sweet spot for comfortable viewing.