Satellites Visible from Beijing
Tonight
Satellite viewing from Beijing on the night of 24 August 2026 is rated POOR NIGHT: 4 visible ISS, Tiangong or Hubble passes, the best reaching 25° above the horizon. The best window for satellite spotting over Beijing on 24 August 2026 is 19:19–21:01 and 02:28–04:59 GMT+8, when most satellites are still catching sunlight. Between those windows the sky is dark but the majority sit inside Earth’s shadow. Individual satellites in lower orbits can be visible a little outside these times. The best ISS pass from Beijing on 24 August 2026 starts at 04:01 GMT+8, rises in the NW, peaks 16° above the horizon and sets in the NNE, lasting about 3 minutes.
At 9pm local on 24 August 2026, no naked-eye planets are above the horizon from Beijing. Planets rise and set like the stars, so the picture changes through the night and across the year.
Beijing (39.9°N) — a mid-latitude position that gets frequent, favourably-angled passes year-round.
Beijing sits at 39.9°N, well inside the ISS's 51.6° orbital inclination — so the station passes directly overhead, up to 90° elevation. China's own Tiangong station reaches near the zenith here too. The catch isn't geometry, it's brightness: central Beijing is Bortle 8–9, so only the ISS, Tiangong, bright planets and Starlink trains punch through.
Evening twilight stretches very late in midsummer. Best months: October–March, when dry continental air and post-monsoon high pressure bring Beijing's clearest, most transparent nights. Spring dust storms and summer humidity are the enemies of a steady pass.
🛰 SEE SATELLITES OVER BEIJING NOWSATELLITE SPOTTING FROM BEIJING
When can I see the ISS from Beijing?
The ISS is visible during twilight, and at 39.9°N it can climb almost overhead — up to 90° elevation. At magnitude −4 it's easily visible over the city. Beijing runs on CST (UTC+8) all year — China has not observed daylight saving since 1991, so pass times never shift seasonally. Midsummer nights are short, but they still go fully dark.
What satellites are visible from Beijing?
Beijing can see the ISS (magnitude −4), China's Tiangong, the Hubble Space Telescope (only about 16°, very low in the south), AST BlueBirds, and Starlink and Qianfan trains after a fresh launch. Hubble stays low here, so a clear southern horizon is essential.
Where is the best place to watch satellites in Beijing?
In the city, the Olympic Forest Park, Chaoyang Park and the Summer Palace grounds give open sky away from the brightest streets. For darker conditions, head northeast to the Miyun Reservoir area (around 90km, Bortle 4–5) or up into the mountains around Huairou and the Great Wall at Jiankou, where the sky opens up well beyond the city glow.
Can I see satellites from central Beijing?
Yes for the ISS and Tiangong — they cut through the city glow from any open spot like Chaoyang Park or the lakeside at Houhai. For BlueBirds and Starlink trains, head out to the Summer Palace grounds, the Botanical Garden or the Miyun Reservoir area.
Does Beijing's latitude help?
At 39.9°N Beijing sits just under the ISS's 51.6° inclination, so passes can climb almost overhead (90°) — better geometry than London or Berlin. The trade-off is Beijing's frequent cloud cover rather than darkness — unlike higher-latitude cities, full astronomical night arrives here all year. Transparency peaks in Beijing's dry autumn and winter, between spring dust storms. Beijing gets true astronomical darkness every night of the year, so timing is about clear air and moonless windows, not the season's twilight.
Beijing is the cultural origin of the orbital-mirror concept and sits in the coverage zone for EARENDIL-1, Reflect Orbital's first commercial space mirror. Track space-mirror passes on OrbitalSolar.ai →
WHAT'S VISIBLE FROM HERE
From Beijing (39.9°N) you have access to a wide range of satellites: