OpenSky Network
A research-grade open flight tracking network run by universities, with live maps and the raw historical data behind them.
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How to get the most from it
OpenSky Network sits in Flight & Ship Tracking under Wander, filed as coffee break.
- Set aside five to fifteen minutes and give it your proper attention.
- Use a laptop or desktop computer — we file it as desktop only.
- It works with the sound off, so it is fine on a train or in a quiet office.
- No account needed — you can start without signing up.
- Go in expecting something brainy and clever.
About this category: Aircraft, cargo ships, trains and satellites moving live on a map. Startling the first time you realise how much is in the air at once.
Good for
- Filling a coffee break properly
- Giving your brain a workout
- Being impressed by a clever idea
- A quiet break at your desk
- Trying it with zero commitment
OpenSky Network: quick answers
Is OpenSky Network free?
Yes. OpenSky Network is free to use and needs no account.
Do I need an account to use OpenSky Network?
No. You can use OpenSky Network without signing up for anything.
Does OpenSky Network work on a phone?
Not well. We file OpenSky Network as desktop only, so open it on a laptop or desktop computer.
Is OpenSky Network safe for work?
Yes, we file it as safe for work. It also works muted.
How long does OpenSky Network take?
We file it as "Coffee break": Five to fifteen minutes of proper attention.
More in Flight & Ship Tracking
All 14 in Flight & Ship TrackingLive flight tracking with an augmented-reality view, for pointing a phone at whatever just went over the garden and naming it.
Every train on the British network with the signalling data attached: which loop it was held in, where it lost four minutes and why.
Ship positions and port arrivals on a fast, uncluttered map, ideal for watching a delivery of your own crawl across an ocean.
The space station's position, ground track and next passes over you, with an orbital countdown that is oddly hard to stop watching.
Same mood: brainy
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- 10 min
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Oxford's open charts on poverty, energy, health and war, with the underlying data downloadable from every single one.
Write creative code in one pane and watch it run in the next, with no install, no build step and no configuration.
- 10 min
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John McLeod's encyclopedia of card game rules, covering every regional variant of everything and settling every dispute.
- 1 hr+
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