How We Track Every Plane in the Sky
A behind-the-scenes look at the OpenSky Network and how community receivers make real-time flight tracking possible.
A sky made of signals
Every commercial aircraft broadcasts its position thousands of times per flight via a technology called ADS-B. Anyone with a $30 receiver can listen.
The OpenSky Network
OpenSky is a community-driven network of volunteers who host receivers around the world. Their aggregated feed lets anyone see, in near-real-time, where aircraft are.
We use this feed to power our Live Sky Atlas — with full transparency about its limitations.
What the data shows
Beyond the romance of watching planes, the data reveals patterns: the quiet of a storm over the Atlantic, the morning rush over Europe, the long arcs of long-haul flights bending across the curvature of the Earth.
Limitations to know
Coverage is uneven — denser over Europe and North America, sparser over oceans and remote regions. Data may lag by minutes. It is a portrait of the sky, not a perfect mirror.
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