Can you see Tiangong tonight?
Yes, from 308 of 1,051 cities. Tiangong is visible tonight from Sydney, Melbourne, Cape Town, Los Angeles and more. 853 of the 1,051 cities have at least one visible pass in the next 8 nights. Tiangong orbits about 384 km up, tilted 41.5° to the equator, so it is hard to see from beyond about 50° north or south. Computed 5 Nov 2026, 00:21 UTC from fresh orbit data; refreshed every 6 hours.
Tonight, or the next pass, for big cities
| City | Tonight, or next pass (local) | Look | Passes in 8 nights |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York US | Thu, Nov 5 5:48 pm | west, up to 22° | 2 |
| Los Angeles US | Tonight 6:54 pm | west, up to 23° | 4 |
| Chicago US | Fri, Nov 6 5:23 pm | west-southwest, up to 17° | 1 |
| Houston US | Tonight 7:22 pm | west-northwest, up to 24° | 5 |
| Phoenix US | Tonight 6:18 pm | northwest, up to 59° | 4 |
| Philadelphia US | Thu, Nov 5 5:48 pm | west, up to 27° | 2 |
| San Antonio US | Tonight 7:21 pm | west-northwest, up to 37° | 4 |
| San Diego US | Tonight 5:20 pm | north-northeast, up to 36° | 5 |
| Dallas US | Tonight 7:21 pm | west-northwest, up to 30° | 4 |
| Jacksonville US | Thu, Nov 5 7:25 pm | west, up to 27° | 4 |
| Fort Worth US | Tonight 7:21 pm | west-northwest, up to 33° | 5 |
| San Jose US | Tonight 6:53 pm | west, up to 23° | 4 |
| London GB | None in 8 nights | 0 | |
| Birmingham GB | None in 8 nights | 0 | |
| Glasgow GB | None in 8 nights | 0 | |
| Manchester GB | None in 8 nights | 0 | |
| Sheffield GB | None in 8 nights | 0 | |
| Toronto CA | Thu, Nov 5 5:47 pm | west-southwest, up to 19° | 1 |
| Montréal CA | Thu, Nov 5 5:49 pm | southwest, up to 11° | 1 |
| Calgary CA | None in 8 nights | 0 | |
| Ottawa CA | Thu, Nov 5 5:49 pm | southwest, up to 12° | 1 |
| Sydney AU | Tonight 4:20 am | southwest, up to 20° | 11 |
| Melbourne AU | Tonight 4:20 am | south-southwest, up to 40° | 10 |
| Brisbane AU | Sat 7 Nov 3:59 am | south, up to 11° | 7 |
| Perth AU | Tonight 4:26 am | southwest, up to 18° | 13 |
| Mumbai IN | Thu 5 Nov 7:10 pm | north, up to 13° | 6 |
| Delhi IN | Thu 5 Nov 7:09 pm | west-northwest, up to 46° | 4 |
| Bengaluru IN | Sat 7 Nov 6:49 pm | north-northwest, up to 23° | 4 |
| Dublin IE | None in 8 nights | 0 | |
| Auckland NZ | Tonight 4:47 am | west-southwest, up to 34° | 10 |
Every city we cover lists Tiangong with its ISS page, in the "Tiangong" section. Times are local to each city.
Why latitude decides it
Tiangong's orbit is tilted 41.5° to the equator, against 51.6° for the ISS. Cities far from the equator see it rarely and low. The share of our cities with at least one visible pass in the next 8 nights, by distance from the equator:
| Latitude (north or south) | Cities | With a pass | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0° to 20° | 98 | 98 | 100% |
| 20° to 30° | 158 | 158 | 100% |
| 30° to 40° | 369 | 369 | 100% |
| 40° to 45° | 184 | 183 | 99% |
| 45° to 50° | 67 | 45 | 67% |
| 50° to 55° | 167 | 0 | 0% |
| 55° to 90° | 8 | 0 | 0% |
Tiangong and the ISS
| Tiangong | ISS | |
|---|---|---|
| Average height | 384 km (238 mi) | 419 km (260 mi) |
| Speed | 27,640 km/h | 27,568 km/h |
| One orbit takes | 92.2 min | 93.0 min |
| Orbits per day | 15.61 | 15.49 |
| Orbit tilt (inclination) | 41.5° | 51.6° |
From the CelesTrak element sets of 2026-11-04: mean height above the equatorial radius, mean circular speed. More on the ISS: ISS speed, height and orbits.
How to see it
Note the start time and direction for your city and go out a few minutes early. Tiangong rises as a steady point and crosses the sky in a few minutes; it fades out when it enters Earth's shadow. Like the ISS, it is only visible after dusk or before dawn, when it is sunlit and your sky is dark. How we compute this.
Questions
Can I see the Chinese space station tonight?
At the last update (5 Nov 2026, 00:21 UTC), 308 of the 1051 cities we cover had a visible Tiangong pass tonight. Find your city in the table or with the search on the home page; its ISS page lists Tiangong's passes for 8 nights.
Where is Tiangong visible from?
Its orbit is tilted 41.5° to the equator, so it passes over latitudes up to about 41° and is seen low on the horizon a little beyond. Of our cities at 55° or more from the equator, 0 of 8 have a visible pass in the next 8 nights.
How high is the Chinese space station?
About 384 km (238 miles) on average, from its latest element set.
How fast does Tiangong travel?
About 27,640 km/h (17,175 mph); one orbit takes 92.2 minutes, 15.6 orbits a day.
Is Tiangong as bright as the ISS?
No. It is smaller, so it is fainter: our pages estimate its brightness with a cautious model and label it as approximate (±1 magnitude). A high pass is still easy to see with the naked eye as a steady point of light that does not blink.
Is there a live Tiangong tracker?
This page and the city pages give predicted passes (time, direction, height), not a live map. Predictions are what you need to see it: go out at the start time and look in the direction given.