Sightings

See the ISS over Budapest

Hungary · local time

The International Space Station makes 10 visible passes over Budapest 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 Budapest's local clock.

Fri 17 Jul 23:57
Visible
6m
Max height
32°
Brightness
+1.0 faint
Appears → Leaves
W → SSE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Sat 18 Jul 21:33
Visible
6m 30s
Max height
48°
Brightness
−0.8 moderate
Appears → Leaves
WNW → E
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Sat 18 Jul 23:09
Visible
7m
Max height
48°
Brightness
−1.5 moderate
Appears → Leaves
WNW → SE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Sun 19 Jul 22:22
Visible
7m
Max height
69°
Brightness
−2.3 bright
Appears → Leaves
WNW → ESE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Mon 20 Jul 21:34
Visible
7m
Max height
74°
Brightness
−2.0 bright
Appears → Leaves
WNW → ESE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Mon 20 Jul 23:12
Visible
5m
Max height
21°
Brightness
+0.5 faint
Appears → Leaves
W → SSE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Tue 21 Jul 22:24
Visible
6m
Max height
32°
Brightness
−1.2 moderate
Appears → Leaves
W → SSE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Wed 22 Jul 21:36
Visible
6m 30s
Max height
49°
Brightness
−1.8 bright
Appears → Leaves
WNW → SE
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Thu 23 Jul 22:27
Visible
3m 30s
Max height
14°
Brightness
+0.4 faint
Appears → Leaves
WSW → S
60° 30° NESW rise
Where to look — the arc across your sky
Ground track — the path beneath the Station
Fri 24 Jul 21:38
Visible
5m 30s
Max height
21°
Brightness
−0.3 moderate
Appears → Leaves
W → SSE
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 Budapest?

The next visible pass over Budapest is on Fri 17 Jul at 23:57 local time, climbing to 32° 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 Budapest?

For the next pass, look toward the W as it rises and follow it across to the SSE. 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 Budapest?

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 Budapest'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 47.50°N, 19.04°E · orbital data updated · computed with the SGP4 model.