Without a telescope
Not with the naked eyeIt needs binoculars or a telescope: magnitude +12.6 at its best, and the faintest stars the eye can see are about magnitude +6.
Satellites›Amateur radio satellites›CUBESAT XI-IV (CO-57)
CUBESAT XI-IV (CO-57) is an amateur radio satellite from Japan, launched on June 30, 2003 from Plesetsk, Russia. It is in a low orbit, 805 to 820 km above the ground, and goes around the Earth every 101.1 minutes: 14.2 times a day, at 7.45 km/s (26,800 km/h). The orbit is sun-synchronous: it crosses every place at about the same local time of day.
The gold ring is its orbit, and the line drops to the point on the ground under it. Inside the white circle it is above the horizon. Drag the globe to turn it, pinch or use the buttons to come closer; the target button brings you back to the satellite. The 2D map shows its path over the ground for the next lap: gold where it is in sunlight, dashed where it is in Earth’s shadow.
Finding CUBESAT XI-IV (CO-57)…
Finding CUBESAT XI-IV (CO-57)…
It needs binoculars or a telescope: magnitude +12.6 at its best, and the faintest stars the eye can see are about magnitude +6.
Its orbit crosses close to both poles, so sooner or later it passes over every place on Earth.
A satellite shows only when your sky is dark and it is still in sunlight: in the hours after dusk and before dawn.
The app works out its passes over your exact location, alerts you before one, and leads you to it with an arrow in the camera view.
Orbit measured November 13, 2026, from CelesTrak. Heights are above the ground at the equator. Page updated November 14, 2026.
The map on this page shows where CUBESAT XI-IV (CO-57) is at this moment, the path it will follow over the ground for the next lap, and the part of the Earth it is above the horizon for. It is worked out from the latest tracking data.
Between 805 km at its lowest and 820 km at its highest, above the ground.
About 7.45 km/s, which is 26,800 km/h. One lap of the Earth takes it 101.1 minutes, so it goes around 14.2 times a day.
Not with the naked eye. It needs binoculars or a telescope: magnitude +12.6 at its best, and the faintest stars the eye can see are about magnitude +6.
On June 30, 2003, from Plesetsk, Russia.

With the app
This page follows the satellite around the planet. The app works out when it passes over you, and leads you to it.