Without a telescope
Not with the naked eyeIt needs binoculars or a telescope: magnitude +12.4 at its best, and the faintest stars the eye can see are about magnitude +6.
Satellites›Amateur radio satellites›PHASE 3B (AO-10)
PHASE 3B (AO-10)
PHASE 3B (AO-10) is an amateur radio satellite from Germany, launched on June 16, 1983 from Kourou, French Guiana. Its orbit is a long ellipse: it comes as close as 4,149 km to the ground and swings out to 35,298 km, once every 11 h 39 min.
Where PHASE 3B (AO-10) 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 PHASE 3B (AO-10)…
PHASE 3B (AO-10)
Finding PHASE 3B (AO-10)…
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Can you see it?
From where
It passes straight overhead between latitudes 26° north and 26° south, and it rises above the horizon everywhere 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.
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)
- 14129
- International designator
- 1983-058B
- Type
- Satellite
- Belongs to
- Germany
- Launched
- June 16, 1983
- Launched from
- Kourou, French Guiana
- Status
- Partly operational
- Orbit
- Highly elliptical
- Lowest point
- 4,149 km
- Highest point
- 35,298 km
- Tilt to the equator
- 26.0°
- One lap
- 11 h 39 min
- Laps a day
- 2.06
- Speed
- 3.91 km/s
- At its brightest
- mag +12.4 estimated, overhead
- Standard brightness
- mag +9.3 from 1,000 km, half lit
- Size on radar
- 1.0 m²
Orbit measured November 12, 2026, from CelesTrak. Heights are above the ground at the equator. Page updated November 14, 2026.
Quick answers
Where is PHASE 3B (AO-10) right now?
The map on this page shows where PHASE 3B (AO-10) 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 PHASE 3B (AO-10)?
Between 4,149 km at its lowest and 35,298 km at its highest, above the ground.
How fast does PHASE 3B (AO-10) go?
About 3.91 km/s, which is 14,100 km/h. One lap of the Earth takes it 11 h 39 min, so it goes around 2.1 times a day.
Can you see PHASE 3B (AO-10) without a telescope?
Not with the naked eye. It needs binoculars or a telescope: magnitude +12.4 at its best, and the faintest stars the eye can see are about magnitude +6.
When was PHASE 3B (AO-10) launched?
On June 16, 1983, from Kourou, French Guiana.
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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