What you need
- Multimeter for macOS 13 or later, $19.99 once.
- The direct download version of Multimeter from this site (the Script source isn’t in the Mac App Store version).
jqfor picking numbers out of JSON. It comes with macOS 15 and later; on macOS 13 or 14 runbrew install jq.- Your latitude and longitude.
Set it up
- Put your coordinates in place of 33.02 and -96.70 and try it. It prints kilometers:Command
curl -s -m 5 https://api.wheretheiss.at/v1/satellites/25544 | jq --argjson lat 33.02 --argjson lon -96.70 '((.latitude - $lat) * 3.14159265 / 180) as $dlat | ((.longitude - $lon) * 3.14159265 / 180) as $dlon | (($dlat / 2 | sin | pow(.; 2)) + ($lat * 3.14159265 / 180 | cos) * (.latitude * 3.14159265 / 180 | cos) * ($dlon / 2 | sin | pow(.; 2))) as $h | 6371 * 2 * ($h | sqrt | asin) | floor' - Add a Script meter with it, refreshing every 30 seconds.
- Range 0 to 20000, unit
km, alerts on Low values: warning 2000 (above your horizon), critical 800 (nearly overhead).
Multimeter settings
In Customize This Meter… (from the meter’s menu):
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Source | Script |
| Command | the curl … | jq line above |
| Refresh every | 30 seconds |
| Range | 0 to 20000 |
| Unit | km |
| Alerts | Low values: warning 2000, critical 800 |
| Label | ISS |
| Face | Arc Gauge, Sparkline or Label & Value |
Tested: Run on October 29, 2026 from Plano, Texas: 13,779 km, in about 1.5 seconds.
Script meters need the direct download version of Multimeter from this site, which is the one on sale now. How commands run, the PATH they see and the 10 second limit are in the Script meters guide.
Limits
- wheretheiss.at asks for no more than about one request a second; every 30 seconds is well under.
- Distance is along the ground. Whether you can see it also depends on darkness and sunlight on the station.
Variations
Altitude or speed
A Web Address meter on https://api.wheretheiss.at/v1/satellites/25544 with the key path altitude (km) or velocity (km/h).
People in space right now
Web Address http://api.open-notify.org/astros.json, key path number.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The script didn’t print a number | The command failed or printed an error message instead. | Run the exact command in Terminal. If it works there, check for tools that live outside the meter’s PATH and use their full path (which tool). |
| The script took longer than 10 seconds | A slow network call. Multimeter stops scripts after 10 seconds. | Keep the -m timeout on curl, and refresh less often. |
| Scripts need the version from multimeterapp.com | This copy of Multimeter came from the Mac App Store, which can’t run scripts. | Use the direct download version, or run the command from cron or launchd and point a File meter at its output. |
Questions
Does this work in the Mac App Store version?
Script meters need the direct download version from multimeterapp.com, because the App Store sandbox doesn’t let apps run your commands. Web Address, File and Sent Value meters work in every version.