Artificial satellites are man-made objects that have been placed in orbit around the Earth. They move along a fixed trajectory, performing various functions, such as determining the exact location of a body or structure, sending information about the climate, collecting scientific data, transmitting television and telecommunications signals, etc. There are currently thousands of artificial satellites orbiting the Earth, the largest being the International Space Station (ISS).
Most of these satellites can be tracked in real time on websites that aggregate location data about them. We will present you with some sites allowing you to know the position of these satellites in real time and obtain technical information about them.
N2yo
By accessing this site, you will immediately come across a planisphere showing you the trajectory of the International Space Station around the Earth. The position of the ISS is updated in real time and you can therefore see it advance…
Behind a somewhat austere interface, but rich in content, the site has a menu in which you will find different sections. The satellites are organized with a ranking of the most followed satellites, a list of satellites recently put into orbit, categories that indicate the type of satellite built, as well as a list of the countries with the largest number of satellites put into orbit.
In-the-sky.org – real-time satellite visualization
Founded in 2012, In-The-Sky.org is a real-time satellite viewing site that automatically adapts what you see on screen based on your geographic location.
So, on a sort of "radar", the site displays all the satellites observable from where you are located by carrying out a series of calculations and measurements which detect their position relative to you.
By clicking on the “World Map” tab you will find a map of the earth on which you can observe in real time satellites identified by a label moving in the airspace of different areas of the world.
By placing the mouse over any of these satellites, you will obtain information about them: altitude, latitude, longitude and name.
Finally, the site also offers a celestial map with the positioning of satellites as well as a 3D representation of the Earth.
Satmap.space
Satmap.space is a bit of "organized chaos". Indeed, this website displays a full-screen map on which lots of satellites are moving in real time. So, it's a bit of a mess at first glance.
Fortunately, by clicking on the 3 horizontal stripes icon located at the top left of the page, you will obtain a list from which you will be able to select the satellites that you want to appear on the map.
Finally, by clicking on the satellite position you will be able to display its trajectory.
Satflare.com
On this site you will be able to get information about all the satellites that orbit the Earth. Interactive 2D and 3D representations allow you to see how the satellites move in real time, but you will also be able to view the future trajectory of each satellite.
Satflare.com also gives you access to the ISS live camera allowing you to view our beautiful planet from space.
Beyond that, the site has many tools and a fairly active community of enthusiasts.
Lizard-tail.com
Probably the prettiest of the sites presented here, Lizard-Tail is also one of the least complete.
Indeed, this site displays a full-page planisphere displaying by default the trajectory of the ISS (again). You can thus follow the movement of the Space Station in real time, but you also have the possibility of carrying out a search to add other satellites.
Once again, you will be able to view the coordinates, but also the speed of each satellite in real time.
Trajectories and other available information are provided by Spacetrack and NASA.
Article updated on January 5, 2025 by Byothe
