ISS Transit Planner

Find out how to capture the International Space Station crossing the face of the Sun or Moon, and get the exact coordinates you need to plan your shot.

What is an ISS transit?

The International Space Station orbits about 420 km above Earth, travelling at roughly 27,600 km/h. From a narrow strip of ground, usually only a few kilometres wide, it occasionally passes directly between you and the Sun or Moon. That is an ISS transit, and it is over fast: most last between half a second and a second and a half.

Because everything happens so quickly, success comes from planning rather than expensive gear. You need an accurate prediction, a spot on the centreline of the transit path, precise time, and a camera already recording before the station arrives.

Search your observing location to get precise coordinates for Transit-Finder, the standard free tool for predicting ISS solar and lunar transits near you.

Enter a location or use device location to get your planning coordinates.

Where is the ISS right now?

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Live position from wheretheiss.at, refreshed every 5 seconds.

How to plan your first ISS transit photo

  1. Find a prediction. Enter your coordinates from the search above into Transit-Finder and look for solar or lunar transits within driving distance. Lunar transits are easier for first attempts because they happen at night with no filters required.
  2. Re-check the prediction. Orbit data drifts, so confirm the time and centreline again 24 to 48 hours before the event. The predicted path can shift by hundreds of metres.
  3. Scout the centreline. The visible path is usually only a few kilometres wide. Pick a spot as close to the centreline as you can and arrive 30 to 60 minutes early to set up calmly.
  4. Sync your time. A timing error of half a second can mean a missed shot. Use a GPS-accurate clock on your phone or sync with an internet time server, and start recording 10 to 15 seconds before the predicted time.
  5. Frame and focus early. Centre the Sun or Moon, focus carefully on its edge or surface detail, then lock everything down. The ISS will be at the same focus distance.
  6. Record video or a fast burst. At around 0.5 to 1.5 seconds per transit, high frame rate video (60 fps or more) or a fast continuous burst gives you the best chance of several usable frames.
  7. Review and stack. Pull the frames that contain the station and stack or blend them into a composite showing the full crossing. Tools like PIPP and AutoStakkert are listed on our resources page.

Solar transits: safety first

Never point a telescope, telephoto lens, or your eyes at the Sun without a certified full-aperture solar filter fitted to the front of the optics. Concentrated sunlight can permanently damage eyesight and camera sensors in an instant.

The same rules that apply to eclipse photography apply to solar ISS transits. Read our solar eclipse safety guide before attempting any solar imaging, and inspect filters for scratches or pinholes before every session.

Beginner camera settings that work

  • Focal length: 500 to 2000 mm effective focal length fills a good portion of the frame. Longer lenses show a bigger station but leave less room for aiming error, so start wider.
  • Solar transits: certified solar filter fitted, shutter around 1/1000 s or faster, low ISO, and continuous high-speed video or burst. The ISS appears as a crisp black silhouette.
  • Lunar transits: expose for the bright lunar surface (around 1/250 to 1/1000 s at low ISO), shoot at night near full Moon for the largest disc, and let the station cross as a silhouette.
  • Support: a sturdy tripod with everything locked down. There is no time to track the station manually, so a fixed frame with the target centred is the reliable approach.

Pair transit planning with these pages

  • Weather planner to check cloud cover for the exact transit time before you travel.
  • Dark sky finder for scouting locations, though lunar transits work from almost anywhere with a clear view.
  • First night checklist to make sure mounts, batteries, and memory cards are ready for a short, unmissable event.
  • Gallery and Moon gallery to see what beginner setups can achieve.

Caught the ISS? Tag us!

If you capture the ISS crossing the Sun or Moon, we would love to see it. Share your image or video and tag us so we can celebrate your capture:

@our.astro.journey on Instagram @ourastrojourney on TikTok

Tag us in your post or send us a message. We may share standout captures with the community.