WhatsAbove / Cities / North Carolina / Chapel Hill
Live planes and satellites over Chapel Hill, NC
The scope below is live: every trackable aircraft and satellite above Chapel Hill right now, centered on 35.9132, -79.0558. Click anything for callsign, route, altitude, and more.
Tonight
Visible passes for the next 12 hours — sun-lit satellite, dark sky at your point.
Nearest major airports
Chapel Hill lies about 15 miles west of Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), which puts it under arrival sequencing and climb-out corridors — most identifiable traffic crosses between 4,000 and 15,000 ft, descending toward or climbing away from the field.
About the sky over Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill (North Carolina) has a population of about 59,568 and sits at 35.9132°N, 79.0558°W. Aircraft on this page come from the crowdsourced ADS-B network (coverage over this area depends on volunteer receivers nearby); satellites are computed in your browser from published orbital elements — several hundred are above the local horizon at any moment.
What planes fly over Chapel Hill?
Most identifiable traffic over Chapel Hill is tied to Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), 15 miles to the east, plus DAN (48 mi) and GSO (51 mi). Add high-altitude cruise traffic passing over on airway routes. The live scope on this page shows each one with callsign, route, and altitude.
How many satellites are above Chapel Hill right now?
Several hundred cataloged objects are above Chapel Hill's horizon at any moment — mostly Starlink, plus stations, science payloads, and decades-old relics. Open the SPACE tab on this page for the live, computed count at 35.9132, -79.0558.
Can I see the ISS from Chapel Hill?
Yes. The ISS passes over North Carolina several times most weeks; visible passes happen when the station is sunlit while the sky over Chapel Hill is dark — typically 1–3 hours after sunset or before sunrise. The Tonight panel on this page computes exact times, directions, and durations.