Sky Tonight Over New Orleans: Starlink, ISS and Planets · Aliens
Tonight's sky · United States
What's in the sky over New Orleans, Louisiana tonight?
Saw a strange light over New Orleans? Here's everything bright crossing the sky on Saturday, October 24, 2026, worked out from real satellite orbits, in local time.
Tonight over New Orleans
In brief: No Starlink trains tonight. Planets: Jupiter, Mars, Saturn. The Moon: Waxing gibbous.
Full darkness from 6:44 PM to 6:44 AM, local time in New Orleans. Across the metro area times shift by a minute or two.
What's flying over
•Bright satellite (INTERCOSMOS 24) 7:49 PM7:49 PM–8:03 PM: from the south to the north, peaking at 82° in the southeast. A slowly moving dot, no blinking.
•Bright satellite (SL-16 R/B) 7:57 PM7:57 PM–8:05 PM: from the south to the northeast, peaking at 78° in the east. A slowly moving dot, no blinking.
•Bright satellite (XRISM) 7:58 PM7:58 PM–8:01 PM: from the west to the northwest, peaking at 77° in the northwest. A slowly moving dot, no blinking.
•Bright satellite (SL-16 R/B) 8:05 PM8:05 PM–8:11 PM: from the north to the southeast, peaking at 83° in the east. A slowly moving dot, no blinking.
•Bright satellite (ATLAS CENTAUR 2) 4:30 AM4:30 AM–4:36 AM: a short, low pass in the east, peaking at 76°. A slowly moving dot, no blinking.
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Saw something over New Orleans? Check what it was
Tell us when, which way you were looking and what it looked like. We'll match it against every satellite, planet and star that was up over New Orleans at that moment.
1When did you see it?
2Where?
3What did it look like?
4Which direction, and how high?(optional)
Tip: the sun sets in the west. Not sure? Skip it, the check works without it.
5What color?(optional)
Questions about tonight's sky over New Orleans
What was the line of lights over New Orleans tonight?
No Starlink trains pass over New Orleans tonight, so a line of lights is more likely a drone show, planes lined up to land, or sky lanterns drifting in the wind.
When can I see the space station from New Orleans tonight?
The space station doesn't cross the dark sky over New Orleans tonight. Its visible passes come in runs of a few days every couple of weeks, so check this page again tomorrow.
Which planets can I see from New Orleans tonight?
Jupiter: very bright, visible from 2:44 AM to 6:44 AM. Best at 6:44 AM, in the southeast, high, almost overhead. Mars: bright, visible from 2:04 AM to 6:44 AM. Best at 6:44 AM, in the southeast, high, almost overhead. Saturn: very bright, visible from 6:44 PM to 4:44 AM. Best at 11:24 PM, in the south, high, almost overhead. Planets don't twinkle and look fixed in place; from a moving car they can seem to follow you.
Was it a UFO?
Most strange lights reported over New Orleans turn out to be satellites, planets, planes, drones or lanterns. If what you saw isn't on this page, describe it in the checker above. If nothing matches, send us your photo or video and we'll look into it.
City locations: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Satellite orbits: CelesTrak.
Bright satellite (SL-16 R/B) 6:39 AM6:39 AM–6:44 AM: from the south to the northeast, peaking at 77° in the southeast. A slowly moving dot, no blinking.
Planets
Jupiter: very bright, visible from 2:44 AM to 6:44 AM. Best at 6:44 AM, in the southeast, high, almost overhead.
Mars: bright, visible from 2:04 AM to 6:44 AM. Best at 6:44 AM, in the southeast, high, almost overhead.
Saturn: very bright, visible from 6:44 PM to 4:44 AM. Best at 11:24 PM, in the south, high, almost overhead.
Planets don't twinkle and look "stuck" in place. From a moving car they can seem to follow you.
