SKY · FIREBALLS & REENTRIES
A sudden bright streak — far brighter than a shooting star, maybe with a flash or a distant boom — is one of two things. A fireball is a natural meteor: a chunk of rock burning up in a few silent seconds. A reentryis human-made: a dead satellite or spent rocket stage falling back, which burns slower, lasts longer and often breaks into pieces. Here's how to tell them apart — what's recently been recorded, and what's predicted to come down soon.
We'll list any objects predicted to reenter that could cross your latitude, and the bright fireballs recently recorded nearest you. Everything is computed in your browser; your location never leaves the device.
Saw a bright streak? Let's narrow it down.
We'll check two things for your spot: any human-made objects predicted to reenter the atmosphere soon (a slow, fragmenting fireball), and the bright natural fireballs recently recorded nearest you (a fast, silent flash). Your location is used only in your browser and never sent anywhere.
Very fast — a brilliant streak crossing in one to a few seconds, usually silent, often ending in a bright flash. A single point, sometimes leaving a glowing trail. These are logged after the fact by sensors; they can't be predicted in advance.
Slower and longer — a glowing object, often with several fragments travelling together in a line, taking tens of seconds to cross. Sometimes predicted days ahead (that it's coming down — never the exact minute or place until hours before).
Still not sure? A blinking light with red/green colours and a steady path is almost always an aircraft, not either of these.
Each city page shows the recent fireballs recorded nearest that location and the reentry candidates whose orbits cross its latitude — auto-computed for the city.
Pick your city and we'll email you when a satellite or rocket body is predicted to reenter on an orbit that can pass over you — a calm heads-up to watch for a slow fireball, never a guaranteed sighting (the exact time and place are only known hours ahead).
We’ll email you when a satellite or rocket body is predicted to reenter on an orbit that can pass over your city — a heads-up to watch for a slow fireball, never a guaranteed sighting.
Double opt-in: we’ll email a confirmation link first. Unsubscribe in one click anytime. Forecasts use free public data (NOAA SWPC · The Space Devs) — a heads-up to look up, not a guarantee.
SEE IT ON THE MAP
Watch live satellite positions — including objects on decaying orbits — move across the globe.