Sightings

See the ISS over Atlanta

United States · local time

The International Space Station makes 10 visible passes over Atlanta in the next few nights. Each one is a bright, fast-moving point of light crossing the sky in a matter of minutes — no telescope needed. Times below are in Atlanta's local clock.

Sun 28 Jun 03:01
Visible
4m
Max height
15°
Brightness
+4.9 very faint
Appears → Leaves
WNW → N
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Fri 3 Jul 05:35
Visible
0m 30s
Max height
10°
Brightness
+7.7 very faint
Appears → Leaves
NNE → NE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Sun 5 Jul 00:41
Visible
1m 30s
Max height
11°
Brightness
+5.7 very faint
Appears → Leaves
NW → N
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Sun 5 Jul 05:33
Visible
5m 30s
Max height
22°
Brightness
+2.9 very faint
Appears → Leaves
NNW → E
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Sun 5 Jul 22:13
Visible
6m 30s
Max height
54°
Brightness
−2.3 bright
Appears → Leaves
SSW → NE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Sun 5 Jul 23:51
Visible
4m
Max height
16°
Brightness
+4.7 very faint
Appears → Leaves
WNW → N
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Mon 6 Jul 04:46
Visible
4m
Max height
15°
Brightness
+4.8 very faint
Appears → Leaves
N → ENE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Mon 6 Jul 21:26
Visible
5m 30s
Max height
27°
Brightness
−1.6 bright
Appears → Leaves
S → ENE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Mon 6 Jul 23:02
Visible
6m
Max height
24°
Brightness
+3.4 very faint
Appears → Leaves
W → NNE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Tue 7 Jul 05:34
Visible
6m 30s
Max height
64°
Brightness
−0.0 moderate
Appears → Leaves
NW → SE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
See it live from your exact spot Get pass alerts on your phone

How to read this

  • Max height — how high the ISS climbs above the horizon at its peak, in degrees (90° is straight overhead). Higher passes are brighter and easier to spot.
  • Brightness — apparent magnitude; lower (more negative) is brighter. At its best the ISS outshines every star.
  • Appears → Leaves — the compass direction it rises from and sets toward. The station always tracks roughly west-to-east.

Want the underlying mechanics? Read how to spot the ISS, why passes only happen at dawn and dusk, and how the station's brightness is worked out.

Frequently asked

When is the ISS visible from Atlanta?

The next visible pass over Atlanta is on Sun 28 Jun at 03:01 local time, climbing to 15° above the horizon. The station is only visible when it is sunlit and your sky is dark — around dawn and dusk — so favourable windows come in clusters of a few days, then disappear for a week or two as the orbit drifts.

Which direction should I look to see the ISS from Atlanta?

For the next pass, look toward the WNW as it rises and follow it across to the N. The ISS always travels roughly west-to-east and crosses in two to six minutes — no telescope needed, it looks like a bright, steady star moving steadily across the sky.

How bright does the ISS get over Atlanta?

At its best in this window the station reaches magnitude −2.3 (bright) — bright enough to outshine every star and most planets. The higher it climbs and the closer it passes to overhead, the brighter it appears.

Are these ISS pass times accurate?

Yes — they are computed from the latest published orbital element set (TLE) using the standard SGP4 model, the same maths professional tracking tools use. Times are shown in Atlanta's local clock and refreshed continuously as a newer element set is published. For a live sky view and a phone-pointing AR mode, use the tracker on the home page.

Coordinates 33.75°N, 84.39°W · orbital data updated · computed with the SGP4 model.