You’re sitting on your deck, the sun has dipped just below the horizon, and you see it. A steady, unblinking light gliding across the stars. It isn't flickering like a Cessna or a 737. It’s too fast for a drone. You wonder, honestly, like everyone else does, "What is flying over me right now?"
The sky isn't empty anymore. It’s crowded.
Right this second, thousands of objects are whipping around the planet at speeds that would make a Formula 1 driver faint. We’re talking 17,500 miles per hour. That’s five miles every single second. Most of what you see isn't "aliens" or secret military experiments, though those are fun to talk about at bars. Usually, it's hardware. Specifically, it's a mix of legacy telecommunications satellites, the International Space Station (ISS), or the increasingly controversial "megaconstellations" like SpaceX's Starlink.
The Invisible Traffic Jam Above Your Backyard
If you want to know what is flying over me right now, you have to understand the layers of the atmosphere. Most people think of "up" as one big bucket. It's not.
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is the hotspot. This is where the action happens. It’s roughly 1,200 miles up or less. Most of the satellites providing your GPS, your high-speed internet, and your weather data live here. Because they are so close to Earth, they move incredibly fast to stay in orbit. If they slowed down, gravity would win, and they'd turn into a very expensive shooting star over the Pacific.
Then you’ve got Geostationary Orbit (GEO). These guys are way out there—about 22,236 miles away. They stay over the same spot on Earth all the time. You usually won't see these with the naked eye. They’re the "silent partners" of the satellite world.
But let's get practical. You’re looking up, and you see a light. How do you tell the difference between a bird, a plane, and a billionaire's satellite?
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Identifying the Streak: Is it Starlink?
Elon Musk's Starlink project has fundamentally changed how the night sky looks. If you see a literal "train" of lights—like a string of glowing pearls moving in a perfect line—that’s a recent Starlink launch. Over time, these satellites drift apart to fill their operational slots, but shortly after deployment, they are the most striking thing in the sky.
Astronomers actually hate them. Dr. Samantha Lawler, an astronomer at the University of Regina, has been vocal about how these "megaconstellations" are polluting the darkness. It’s a weird tension. We want global internet, but we also want to see the Milky Way. When you ask what is flying over me right now, and it looks like a sci-fi invasion force, it's almost certainly Starlink.
Real-Time Tracking Tools That Actually Work
You don't have to guess. We live in an era where the data is democratized. If you see something moving and you have your phone handy, there are specific databases that track every registered piece of "space junk" and active hardware.
Flightradar24: This is the gold standard for aircraft. If it has a transponder and it's a commercial or private flight, it’s on here. You can literally point your phone at the sky in AR mode and see the flight number, the destination, and how many minutes late the pilot is.
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Heavens-Above: This one is a bit more "old school" but incredibly accurate for satellites. It gives you "passes." It tells you exactly when the ISS will be visible from your specific latitude and longitude.
James Darpinian’s "See A Satellite Tonight": This is arguably the most user-friendly tool for the casual observer. It uses your location and Google Street View to show you exactly where in the sky a satellite will appear relative to your own house or trees.
The ISS is a big one. It’s roughly the size of a football field. When the sun hits its solar panels just right, it is the brightest thing in the sky other than the moon or Venus. It doesn’t blink. It moves with a steady, majestic purpose. Knowing it’s up there with actual humans on board while you’re standing in your pajamas is a pretty wild realization.
Why the Time of Day Matters More Than You Think
You can't see satellites at noon. You usually can't see them at midnight, either. The "sweet spot" is twilight—about an hour or two after sunset or before sunrise.
Why? Geometry.
You are in the dark on the ground, but 300 miles up, the satellite is still bathed in direct sunlight. It’s reflecting that light down to you. Once the satellite moves into the Earth's shadow (the umbra), it effectively "disappears" mid-flight. You’ll be watching a steady light, and suddenly, it just fades into nothing. It didn't explode. It just went into the shade.
The "UFO" Problem and Optical Illusions
Let's be real: sometimes you see stuff that makes no sense. The "What is flying over me right now?" question often turns into "Is that a UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon)?"
Before you call the local news, check for these common culprits:
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- Autokinesis: If you stare at a single star in a dark sky for too long, your brain will make it look like it's moving. It’s a physiological glitch in your eye-brain connection.
- Weather Balloons: They look like bright, stationary, or slow-moving spheres. They can reflect light in ways that look metallic and "unnatural."
- Iridium Flares: These used to be more common, but certain satellites have antennas that act like mirrors. They create a brief, intense flash of light that lasts only a few seconds.
The Department of Defense actually tracks about 27,000 pieces of orbital debris. Some of it is as small as a marble. Most of what is "flying over you" is actually trash. Old rocket boosters, frozen coolant, or bits of satellites that collided years ago.
How to Get the Best View Tonight
If you really want to dive into this, stop looking from your back porch with the porch light on. Light pollution is the enemy of curiosity.
Drive twenty minutes out of town. Let your eyes adjust for 15 minutes—don't look at your phone! Your pupils need time to dilate. When you finally look up, the sky will look three-dimensional. You’ll start to see the faint "crawlers" (satellites) that you would have missed otherwise.
What is flying over me right now isn't just a question about technology; it's a reminder of how much we’ve expanded our footprint. We’ve gone from looking at the stars to tell stories about gods to looking at the stars and seeing our own internet routers.
Actionable Steps for Amateur Skywatchers:
- Download a "Night Mode" app: Apps like SkyView or Star Walk use a red filter. This keeps your pupils dilated so you don't lose your night vision every time you check the map.
- Check the ISS schedule: Use NASA’s "Spot the Station" website. It can send you text alerts when the Space Station is about to fly over your zip code.
- Look for "The Train": Use a Starlink tracker if you hear about a recent SpaceX launch. Seeing 60 satellites in a row is a bucket-list experience for any tech nerd.
- Invest in 10x50 Binoculars: You don’t need a massive telescope. A decent pair of binoculars will reveal that the "point of light" is actually a structured object or a double star system.
The next time you're out there and you see that silent glide, remember: it’s likely a piece of machinery moving 40 times faster than a commercial jet, held in place by the delicate balance of velocity and gravity. It’s a weirdly beautiful thing to realize we aren't just living on a planet, but inside a buzzing hive of global connectivity.