Spot the ISS and China’s Tiangong Space Station From Your Backyard This Week

Get ready to look up! This week offers a fantastic chance for many across North America to spot not one, but two orbiting homes for astronauts: the International Space Station (ISS) and China’s Tiangong space station. These two massive human-made objects are the largest currently circling our planet, and seeing them glide silently across the night sky is a truly awe-inspiring experience – no telescope required!

For much of the U.S. and southern Canada, you’ll have multiple opportunities to see both space stations, often within minutes of each other. And on the morning of July 5th, there’s even a rare possibility of seeing both of them in the sky at the exact same time. This isn’t something that happens every day, making this week a special viewing window for skywatchers.

Illustration comparing the shapes of the International Space Station (ISS) and China's Tiangong space station against a starry background.Illustration comparing the shapes of the International Space Station (ISS) and China's Tiangong space station against a starry background.

Why You Can See Them This Week

Satellites like the ISS and Tiangong orbit Earth constantly, but their visibility from the ground depends on when they are illuminated by the sun while it’s dark where you are. Currently, during the short summer nights in the Northern Hemisphere, objects in low Earth orbit can stay lit up by the sun for longer periods, sometimes throughout the night.

This seasonal circumstance creates a wide viewing window, making it easier to catch multiple passes of the space stations. Since both the ISS and Tiangong complete an orbit around Earth roughly every 90 minutes, if you see one pass over, there’s a good chance you’ll see another pass relatively soon after, and often for several consecutive orbits.

Specifically, from now through July 8th, the ISS and Tiangong will be making passes about one to two hours before sunrise, frequently separated by less than a half hour.

What to Look For in the Sky

When you spot a space station, it won’t look like twinkling stars. Instead, it will appear as a bright, steady light moving smoothly and surprisingly fast across the sky. Imagine a high-flying jetliner, but without the blinking lights or engine noise.

The International Space Station is by far the brightest man-made object in orbit. Thanks to its massive size and highly reflective solar panels, on its best passes, it can shine brighter than the planet Venus (which is usually the brightest object in the night sky after the moon) and significantly outshine even the brightest stars like Sirius. Sometimes, sunlight reflecting directly off its panels can cause the ISS to briefly “flare,” becoming even more brilliant for a few moments!

China’s Tiangong station is also very bright when it passes over. While generally not quite as dazzling as the ISS, it can still appear as bright as Venus or the planet Jupiter on a favorable pass. Seeing either of these objects glide overhead is a treat, and seeing both in one outing is even better.

The International Space Station: A Massive Orbital Home

The ISS is the largest structure humans have ever put into space. It’s a collaboration between multiple countries and serves as a unique research laboratory and home for astronauts. The station is truly enormous – roughly the size of a football field, including the end zones.

Much of its incredible brightness comes from its four pairs of huge solar arrays, which capture sunlight to power the station. Each of these older arrays is longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 777! Newer, more efficient solar arrays are also being installed on top of the existing ones, ensuring the station has plenty of power.

View of the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting Earth, showing its large solar panels.View of the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting Earth, showing its large solar panels.

Orbiting at an average altitude of about 259 miles (416 km), the ISS zips around the Earth at an incredible speed of about 17,900 mph (28,800 kph). This means it circles the entire planet in just about 93 minutes, completing over 15 orbits each day. When it passes overhead, it typically takes four to five minutes to travel from one horizon to the other.

Tiangong: China’s Growing Space Outpost

Tiangong, meaning “Heavenly Palace” in Chinese, is China’s permanently crewed space station. While smaller than the ISS, it’s a significant achievement and serves as a crucial platform for China’s space program, supporting scientific research and future deep-space technology development.

Tiangong measures about 180 feet (55 meters) long and has a mass of around 77 tons (69,900 kg). It’s composed of three main modules, acting as living quarters, research labs, and docking ports. It orbits Earth at a slightly lower average altitude than the ISS, around 244 miles (393 km).

Both the ISS and Tiangong are active outposts, currently housing astronauts. Seeing them pass overhead connects you directly to the humans living and working off-world right now.

A Rare Alignment: Seeing Both at Once on July 5th

Here’s where things get really interesting. While seeing the ISS and Tiangong within a short time frame is common this week, seeing them simultaneously in the sky is much rarer. Because their orbits are tilted at different angles relative to the Earth’s equator (51.63 degrees for the ISS, 41.46 degrees for Tiangong), their paths don’t always align perfectly for a joint sighting.

However, on the morning of July 5th, skywatchers in parts of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada might get lucky. For a brief window between approximately 3:56 a.m. and 3:58 a.m. EDT, predictions suggest both stations could be visible at the same time, albeit in different parts of the sky – the ISS passing to the north, and Tiangong to the south, as seen from the New York area.

Diagram showing the predicted paths of the ISS and Tiangong space stations over the northeastern US on the morning of July 5th for potential simultaneous viewing.Diagram showing the predicted paths of the ISS and Tiangong space stations over the northeastern US on the morning of July 5th for potential simultaneous viewing.

This kind of alignment is a special event, highlighting the dynamic nature of space travel and the different paths our orbital outposts follow.

How to Find the Exact Viewing Times For You

Ready to spot these celestial visitors? The best way to know exactly when they’ll be visible from your specific location is to use dedicated online resources.

Two popular and reliable options are:

  1. Heavens Above (heavens-above.com): This website lets you input your precise location (using latitude and longitude) and generate detailed sighting data for both the ISS, Tiangong, and many other satellites visible to the naked eye. It provides times, brightness predictions, and the path across the sky.
  2. NASA’s Spot the Station (nasa.gov/spot-the-station): This user-friendly tool focuses specifically on the ISS. You simply enter your location, and it gives you a list of upcoming viewing opportunities, including the time, how long it will be visible, its maximum height in the sky, and where it will appear and disappear. You can even sign up for email or text alerts.

Keep in mind that while these predictions are usually accurate within a few minutes, the space stations’ orbits can change slightly over time due to atmospheric drag or intentional adjustments (“re-boosts”). It’s always a good idea to check back for the latest predictions a day or two before you plan to watch.

Don’t miss this opportunity to witness humanity’s largest outposts cruising across the dawn sky. Find your viewing times, step outside, look up, and enjoy the show!