Without a telescope
Not with the naked eyeIt needs binoculars or a telescope: magnitude +8.8 at its best, and the faintest stars the eye can see are about magnitude +6.
Satellites›Weather satellites›CYGFM04
CYGFM04
CYGFM04 is a weather satellite from the United States, launched on December 15, 2016 from an aircraft off the coast of Florida, United States. It is in a low orbit, 349 to 358 km above the ground, and goes around the Earth every 91.6 minutes: 15.7 times a day, at 7.69 km/s (27,700 km/h).
Where CYGFM04 is right now
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 CYGFM04…
CYGFM04
Finding CYGFM04…
- Over
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- Position
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- Height
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- Speed
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- Now
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- Your time
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Can you see it?
From where
It passes straight overhead only between latitudes 35° north and 35° south, and rises above the horizon as far as about 53°. Nearer the poles than that it is never in the sky.
A satellite shows only when your sky is dark and it is still in sunlight: in the hours after dusk and before dawn.
When it passes over you
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.
The facts
- Catalogue number (NORAD)
- 41885
- International designator
- 2016-078B
- Type
- Satellite
- Belongs to
- United States
- Launched
- December 15, 2016
- Launched from
- An aircraft off the coast of Florida, United States
- Status
- On an extended mission
- Orbit
- Low Earth orbit
- Lowest point
- 349 km
- Highest point
- 358 km
- Tilt to the equator
- 34.9°
- One lap
- 91.6 minutes
- Laps a day
- 15.72
- Speed
- 7.69 km/s
- At its brightest
- mag +8.8 estimated, overhead
- Standard brightness
- mag +11.1 from 1,000 km, half lit
- Size on radar
- 0.2 m²
Orbit measured November 13, 2026, from CelesTrak. Heights are above the ground at the equator. Page updated November 14, 2026.
Quick answers
Where is CYGFM04 right now?
The map on this page shows where CYGFM04 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.
How high is CYGFM04?
Between 349 km at its lowest and 358 km at its highest, above the ground.
How fast does CYGFM04 go?
About 7.69 km/s, which is 27,700 km/h. One lap of the Earth takes it 91.6 minutes, so it goes around 15.7 times a day.
Can you see CYGFM04 without a telescope?
Not with the naked eye. It needs binoculars or a telescope: magnitude +8.8 at its best, and the faintest stars the eye can see are about magnitude +6.
When was CYGFM04 launched?
On December 15, 2016, from an aircraft off the coast of Florida, United States.
With the app
Knowing where it is over the Earth is one thing. The app shows you where it is in your sky.
This page follows the satellite around the planet. The app works out when it passes over you, and leads you to it.
- Every pass over your exact location, for this satellite and 10,000+ more.
- An alert before it rises, so you are outside in time.
- An arrow in the camera view that leads you to the exact spot in the sky.
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