Hubble Pass Predictions
Hubble orbits at 28.5° inclination — it is only visible from locations between 28.5°N and 28.5°S latitude.
Enter your location above to see upcoming Hubble passes.
Live Tracking
Hubble Space TelescopeWhere Is Hubble Right Now?
Live position, altitude decay visualisation, JWST comparison, servicing mission history, pass predictions and re-entry forecast — updated every second since 1990.
Years in orbit: —
Total orbits: —
Scientific papers: ~19,000
Observations: ~1.6M
Mirror diameter: 2.4 m
Mass: 11,110 kg
Servicing missions: 5
Years in orbit: —
Total orbits: —
Scientific papers: ~19,000
Observations: ~1.6M
CONNECTING…LEO · NORAD 20580 ECLIPSE
NOW PASSING OVER
Acquiring signal…
Orbit start0%Orbit end (~95 min)
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Altitude (km)
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Speed (km/s)
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Latitude
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Longitude
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Your Distance
Powered by Orbital Radar · Live TLE Data Currently Observing
CURRENT TARGET
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Data from STScI observation schedule · Updated periodically
Latest Hubble Image
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Altitude Decay — Hubble Is Falling
Orbital Altitude Over Time
Historical TLE epoch data · Projected re-entry window · Solar cycle peaks marked
Current Altitude
~535 km
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Historical altitudeProjected decayLaunch altitude (600 km)Solar cycle peak
Estimated Re-entry Window
2034 – 2038
Without reboost intervention · Depends on solar activity
Hubble’s Orbital Decay — Then vs Now
~600 km
Hubble vs James Webb Space Telescope
🔭 Hubble
VS
⭐ JWST
LEO (~535 km)
Orbit
L2 (~1.5M km)
2.4 m
Mirror
6.5 m
UV / Visible / Near-IR
Wavelength
Infrared
11,110 kg
Mass
6,161 kg
1990
Launch
2021
~95 min
Orbital Period
~6 months (L2 halo)
5 (shuttle)
Service Missions
0 (unserviceable)
~19,000
Papers Published
~1,500+
All Three — Live Comparison
🔭 Hubble
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Altitude
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Speed
🌎 ISS
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Altitude
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Speed
🇨🇳 Tiangong
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Altitude
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Speed
Hubble ↔ ISS: —
Hubble ↔ Tiangong: —
ISS ↔ Tiangong: —
Hubble By the Numbers
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Years in Orbit
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Total Orbits
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Distance Travelled
~1.6M
Observations
~19,000
Scientific Papers
5
Service Missions
TIME IN ORBIT
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Re-entry & Reboost Status
Hubble’s Future
Without intervention, Hubble will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere between 2034 and 2038. The exact date depends heavily on solar activity — higher solar activity expands the upper atmosphere, increasing drag and accelerating orbital decay.
In 2022, NASA and SpaceX studied using a Dragon spacecraft to reboost Hubble to a higher orbit. The study concluded it was technically feasible but no mission has been funded. A reboost could extend Hubble’s operational life by 15–20 years.
NASA is also developing a deorbit vehicle to ensure controlled re-entry when the time comes, preventing uncontrolled debris. See Re-entry Tracker for objects currently predicted to re-enter.
Hubble’s Key Discoveries
Hubble Deep Field
December 1995
10-day exposure of a tiny patch of sky revealed approximately 3,000 galaxies, some over 12 billion years old — transforming our understanding of the universe’s scale.
Dark Energy Discovery
1998
Hubble observations of Type Ia supernovae provided key evidence that the expansion of the universe is accelerating — revealing dark energy. Led to the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Age of the Universe
1999–2001
Precise measurement of the Hubble Constant established the universe’s age at approximately 13.7 billion years.
Supermassive Black Holes
1994–present
Demonstrated that supermassive black holes exist at the centre of nearly every galaxy, revealing a fundamental link in galaxy formation.
Protoplanetary Discs
1994
First direct images of protoplanetary discs around young stars in the Orion Nebula, providing visual evidence of planet formation.
Pillars of Creation
1995 & 2014
Iconic images of the Eagle Nebula’s star-forming columns became the most famous astronomical photograph ever taken.
Exoplanet Atmospheres
2001–present
First detection of an atmosphere on an exoplanet (HD 209458b), pioneering exoplanet atmospheric characterisation.
Hubble Ultra Deep Field
2004
The deepest visible-light image ever taken — 11-day exposure revealing ~10,000 galaxies, some formed 400 million years after the Big Bang.
Hubble’s Greatest Hits
Some of the most iconic images ever captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. All imagery courtesy NASA/ESA/STScI.
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Servicing Mission History
STS-31 — Launch
24 April 1990
Space Shuttle Discovery
Hubble deployed into orbit at 600 km altitude. Within weeks, a spherical aberration in the primary mirror was discovered.
SM1 — First Servicing
2–13 December 1993
Space Shuttle Endeavour
Installed COSTAR corrective optics to fix the mirror flaw. Replaced WF/PC with WF/PC2. Five EVAs over 11 days.
COSTARWF/PC2Solar arrays
SM2 — Second Servicing
11–21 February 1997
Space Shuttle Discovery
Installed STIS and NICMOS instruments, expanding Hubble’s wavelength range into near-infrared.
STISNICMOSFGS
SM3A
19–27 December 1999
Space Shuttle Discovery
Emergency mission after failure of 3 of 6 gyroscopes. Replaced all six and installed new computer.
6 gyroscopesComputer
SM3B
1–12 March 2002
Space Shuttle Columbia
Installed ACS — Hubble’s most productive instrument. Replaced solar arrays and power control unit.
ACSSolar arraysPCU
SM4 — Final Servicing
11–24 May 2009
Space Shuttle Atlantis
Most ambitious servicing mission. Installed WFC3/COS, repaired STIS/ACS, replaced all gyroscopes and batteries.
WFC3COSSTIS repairACS repairGyroscopesBatteries
Hubble Specifications
Primary Mirror
2.4 m diameter
Focal Length
57.6 m
Wavelength Range
115–2500 nm
Pointing Accuracy
0.007 arcsec
Orbital Altitude
~535 km
Inclination
28.5°
Orbital Period
~95 min
Mass
11,110 kg
Length
13.2 m
Diameter
4.2 m
Power
~5,500 W (solar)
NORAD ID
20580
How Big Is Hubble?
Hubble is 13.2 metres long — about the size of a large school bus.
JWST sunshield 21.2 m
Hubble 13.2 m
School bus ~11 m
Phone box ~7 m (stacked x3)
Can I See Hubble Tonight?
Yes — Hubble is visible to the naked eye, but it is fainter than the ISS (magnitude 1–2.5 vs ISS at –3 to –5).
1
Check your latitude. Hubble’s 28.5° inclination means it only passes between 28.5°N and 28.5°S.
2
Use the pass predictor above. Enter your location to see upcoming visible passes.
3
Go out 1–2 hours after sunset or before sunrise. Find a dark spot.
4
Be patient. Hubble is smaller than the ISS. Passes last 2–4 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
The live position is shown at the top of this page. Hubble orbits at ~535 km altitude at 7.59 km/s with 28.5° inclination, completing one orbit every ~95 minutes.
Yes. After 35+ years in orbit, Hubble continues producing groundbreaking science. It now operates on 1 of 3 remaining gyroscopes, but remains highly productive.
Without a reboost, Hubble is projected to re-enter between 2034 and 2038. See the altitude decay chart and re-entry status above.
See the comparison table above. Hubble observes UV/visible at ~535 km; JWST observes infrared at L2 (~1.5M km). They are complementary.
Yes, but it is fainter than the ISS (magnitude 1–2.5). Use the pass predictor to find passes for your location.
Hubble has contributed to approximately 19,000 scientific papers. See the key discoveries timeline above.
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