Sky Tonight Over Cape Town: Starlink, ISS and Planets · Aliens
Tonight's sky · South Africa
What's in the sky over Cape Town, South Africa tonight?
Saw a strange light over Cape Town? Here's everything bright crossing the sky on Saturday, October 24, 2026, worked out from real satellite orbits, in local time.
Tonight over Cape Town
Saw something over Cape Town? 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 Cape Town 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 Cape Town
What was the line of lights over Cape Town tonight?
No Starlink trains pass over Cape Town 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 Cape Town tonight?
The International Space Station passes over Cape Town at 8:41 PM, from the south to the southeast. It looks like a very bright, steady star moving fast, with no blinking, and crosses the sky in a few minutes.
Which planets can I see from Cape Town tonight?
Jupiter: very bright, visible from 3:53 AM to 5:13 AM. Best at 5:13 AM, in the northeast, halfway up the sky. Mars: bright, visible from 3:33 AM to 5:13 AM. Best at 5:13 AM, in the northeast, halfway up the sky. Saturn: very bright, visible from 7:33 PM to 4:13 AM. Best at 11:13 PM, in the north, halfway up the sky. Mercury: bright, visible from 7:33 PM to 7:53 PM. Best at 7:33 PM, in the west, low on the horizon. 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 Cape Town 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.
