Without a telescope
Yes, easilyOn a good pass it is as bright as the brightest stars: magnitude +0.6 at its best.
Satellites›Brightest satellites›Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a satellite from the United States, launched on April 24, 1990 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States. It is in a low orbit, 470 km above the ground, and goes around the Earth every 94.0 minutes: 15.3 times a day, at 7.63 km/s (27,500 km/h).
Where the Hubble Space Telescope 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 the Hubble Space Telescope…
Hubble Space Telescope
Finding the Hubble Space Telescope…
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About the Hubble Space Telescope
The telescope that changed what everyone thinks space looks like. Space Shuttle Discovery carried it up in April 1990, and astronauts returned five times to repair and upgrade it, the last time in 2009. Its mirror is 2.4 metres across and the telescope is about the size of a bus. It stays close to the equator, so it is only ever seen from the tropics and the latitudes just beyond them.
Can you see it?
From where
It passes straight overhead only between latitudes 29° north and 29° south, and rises above the horizon as far as about 49°. 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)
- 20580
- International designator
- 1990-037B
- Name in the catalogue
- HST
- Type
- Satellite
- Belongs to
- United States
- Launched
- April 24, 1990
- Launched from
- Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States
- Status
- Operational
- Orbit
- Low Earth orbit
- Lowest point
- 468 km
- Highest point
- 471 km
- Tilt to the equator
- 28.5°
- One lap
- 94.0 minutes
- Laps a day
- 15.32
- Speed
- 7.63 km/s
- At its brightest
- mag +0.6 estimated, overhead
- Standard brightness
- mag +2.2 from 1,000 km, half lit
- Size on radar
- 28 m²
Orbit measured November 11, 2026, from CelesTrak. Heights are above the ground at the equator. Page updated November 14, 2026.
Quick answers
Where is the Hubble Space Telescope right now?
The map on this page shows where the Hubble Space Telescope 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 the Hubble Space Telescope?
About 470 km above the ground.
How fast does the Hubble Space Telescope go?
About 7.63 km/s, which is 27,500 km/h. One lap of the Earth takes it 94.0 minutes, so it goes around 15.3 times a day.
Can you see the Hubble Space Telescope without a telescope?
Yes, easily. On a good pass it is as bright as the brightest stars: magnitude +0.6 at its best.
When was the Hubble Space Telescope launched?
On April 24, 1990, from Cape Canaveral, 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.
- Starlink trains, Tiangong, Hubble and the brightest satellites of tonight.