Satellite viewing from Dublin on the night of 23 August 2026 is rated POOR NIGHT: 2 visible ISS, Tiangong or Hubble passes, the best reaching 29° above the horizon.The best window for satellite spotting over Dublin on 23 August 2026 is 21:05–23:55 and 02:45–05:35 GMT+1, 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 Dublin on 23 August 2026 starts at 05:32 GMT+1, rises in the WSW, peaks 29° above the horizon and sets in the SW, lasting about 2 minutes.
Planets at 9pm
At 9pm local on 23 August 2026, no naked-eye planets are above the horizon from Dublin. Planets rise and set like the stars, so the picture changes through the night and across the year.
53.35°NLatitude
6.26°WLongitude
CSTTimezone
Dublin (53.3°N) — the ISS can climb high overhead here, giving bright, well-placed passes.
Dublin at 53.3°N sits just past the line where the ISS stops passing overhead. The station’s orbit is inclined 51.6 degrees, so from here it tops out around 64° — high and well-placed in the southern sky, but never quite at the zenith the way it is from London two degrees south. Tiangong manages about 10° and Hubble never rises at all. Against that, Ireland has something few countries can match for a capital city: the Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve, one of only a handful of gold-tier reserves in the northern hemisphere.
Observing notes
Evening twilight 30 minutes after sunset. Best months: September–March, when the nights run long and the sky reaches proper astronomical darkness. Avoid late May to late July: at 53.3°N there is no astronomical darkness across midsummer, and only the ISS is bright enough to bother with.
ISS high at 64° — but never quite overhead this far north
90°Max Elevation
NW→NERises · Sets
5 minPass Length
SATELLITE SPOTTING FROM DUBLIN
When can I see the ISS from Dublin?
During twilight — roughly 30 to 40 minutes after sunset or before sunrise, a little later than further south because twilight lasts longer here. At 53.3°N the ISS reaches about 64°, high in the southern sky but not overhead. September to March is the real season. Ireland observes IST in summer and GMT in winter, so pass times shift by an hour in late March and late October.
What satellites are visible from Dublin?
The ISS at magnitude −4, reaching about 64° — high enough to clear most obstructions and easily the best target. Tiangong reaches only around 10° and is usually blocked. Hubble never rises at all from this latitude. Starlink trains are visible and often striking, because the shallower pass angle keeps them against the twilight longer. The AST BlueBirds are marginal without an open southern horizon.
Where is the best place to watch satellites in Dublin?
Phoenix Park is the city option — 707 hectares of open ground with darker sky than anywhere central. Howth Head, thirty minutes northeast, is coastal with the city glow behind you. The Wicklow Mountains, an hour south, reach Bortle 4 with high open ground. For a genuinely dark sky, the Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve in the southwest is gold-tier certified and reaches Bortle 2 — four hours away, but among the darkest skies in Europe.
Can I see satellites from Dublin city centre?
The ISS, yes — at magnitude −4 and around 64° it is bright enough and high enough to clear the buildings from most of the centre. Tiangong at 10° is not realistic from the middle of the city. Phoenix Park is only a short way west and makes a substantial difference for anything fainter.
Does Dublin’s latitude make it good for satellite spotting?
It is workable but not ideal, and the reason is precise: the ISS orbits at 51.6 degrees inclination, and Dublin sits at 53.3°N — just past it. So the station reaches about 64° rather than the 90° London gets two degrees south. Tiangong at 10° is mostly lost and Hubble never rises. Midsummer removes astronomical darkness entirely for about two months. The compensation is Kerry, one of the darkest certified skies in Europe.
What is the best season for satellite spotting in Dublin?
September through March. Those months give long nights with genuine astronomical darkness, and the clear spells between Atlantic fronts are often very transparent. Late May to late July is not worth planning around — at 53.3°N the sky does not reach astronomical darkness at all across midsummer, so only the ISS is bright enough to be worth going out for.
SPACE MIRROR WATCH
Dublin is in the coverage zone for EARENDIL-1, the first commercial space mirror from Reflect Orbital. When operational, the steerable mirror could illuminate Dublin during targeted passes. OrbitalSolar.ai tracks the mirror city by city →
WHAT'S VISIBLE FROM HERE
From Dublin (53.3°N) you have access to a wide range of satellites:
ISS →About 64° at best — high in the south, though not overhead. Magnitude −4.
Tiangong →About 10° — low in the south and often blocked.
Hubble →Never rises from this latitude — its orbit stays well to the south.
BlueBirds →Marginal. Needs a genuinely open southern horizon.
Amazon Kuiper →Faint (mag 5). Realistically the Wicklow Mountains or further.
BEST DARK-SKY SPOTS
Phoenix Park
City option. Large and open, with darker ground than anywhere central.
Howth Head
30 min northeast. Coastal, with the city glow behind you.
Wicklow Mountains
1 hr south. Bortle 4, and high open ground.
Kerry Dark Sky Reserve
4 hr southwest. Bortle 2, gold-tier certified.
★ BEST: September – March
Long nights with real astronomical darkness, and the clear spells that follow the Atlantic fronts through.
✗ AVOID: Late May – late July
No astronomical darkness across midsummer at this latitude — only the ISS is worth trying.
VISIBILITY FROM THIS CITY: Hubble never rises from Dublin (53.3°N) — its 28.5-degree orbit stays far to the south.
Figures on this page are computed from current orbital elements and released under CC BY 4.0 — quote, republish or build on them freely with credit to OrbitalNodes.ai.
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