Satellite viewing from Hong Kong on the night of 23 August 2026 is rated POOR NIGHT: 1 visible ISS, Tiangong or Hubble pass, the best reaching 46° above the horizon.The best window for satellite spotting over Hong Kong on 23 August 2026 is 19:04–20:22 and 04:15–05:33 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 pass of the night is picked from live orbital data — the one that climbs highest and stays visible longest.
Planets at 9pm
At 9pm local on 23 August 2026, no naked-eye planets are above the horizon from Hong Kong. Planets rise and set like the stars, so the picture changes through the night and across the year.
22.32°NLatitude
114.17°ELongitude
CSTTimezone
Hong Kong (22.3°N) — the ISS can climb high overhead here, giving bright, well-placed passes.
Hong Kong at 22.3°N is inside Hubble’s 28.5-degree orbit, which puts it in a small group of cities where all three tracked spacecraft — the ISS, Tiangong and Hubble — can pass directly overhead. The obstacle is not geometry but the sky itself: Hong Kong has some of the heaviest light pollution measured anywhere, and from Central or Kowloon only the brightest passes cut through. The compensation is that the New Territories rise fast — Tai Mo Shan reaches 957 m, and the Sai Kung peninsula is dark enough to change the answer entirely, both inside the SAR.
Observing notes
Evening twilight 30 minutes after sunset. Best months: October–December, when the dry northeast monsoon replaces the summer humidity and gives the clearest, steadiest air of the year. Avoid June–September: the wet season and the typhoon months, with heavy cloud and haze.
all three overhead — but the light pollution is severe
90°Max Elevation
NW→NERises · Sets
5 minPass Length
SATELLITE SPOTTING FROM HONG KONG
When can I see the ISS from Hong Kong?
During twilight — roughly 30 minutes after sunset or before sunrise. At 22.3°N the ISS reaches 90° and passes directly overhead, and at magnitude −4 it is bright enough to see from Central or Kowloon despite the sky glow. October to December is the clearest season. Hong Kong does not observe daylight saving, so pass times stay on HKT year round.
What satellites are visible from Hong Kong?
All three of the tracked spacecraft reach the zenith here: the ISS at magnitude −4, Tiangong, and Hubble — Hong Kong at 22.3°N sits inside Hubble’s 28.5-degree orbit, which most cities do not. The AST BlueBirds are well placed. Starlink trains cross in the days after a launch. What limits you is light pollution rather than geometry: the fainter passes need Sai Kung or Tai Mo Shan.
Where is the best place to watch satellites in Hong Kong?
Victoria Peak gives height and an open aspect within the city, though the glow sits directly beneath you. Tai Mo Shan, 45 minutes north, is the highest point in the SAR at 957 m and gets above much of the haze. Sai Kung East Country Park, about an hour northeast, has the darkest accessible sky in Hong Kong. Po Toi Island, by ferry to the south, has an open ocean horizon and no street lighting at all.
Can I see satellites from Hong Kong city centre?
The ISS and Tiangong, yes — both reach 90° here, so they pass high enough to clear the towers, and at magnitude −4 the ISS beats the sky glow comfortably. The difficulty in Central and Kowloon is as much the buildings as the light: you need a genuine strip of open sky. Anything fainter than about magnitude 2 is not realistic from the urban areas.
Does Hong Kong’s latitude make it good for satellite spotting?
Geometrically it is excellent. At 22.3°N Hong Kong is inside Hubble’s 28.5-degree inclination, so all three tracked spacecraft can pass directly overhead — something London, Glasgow and most European cities cannot manage at all. The limitation is entirely the sky: Hong Kong has some of the heaviest light pollution measured anywhere, so the latitude advantage only pays off once you get out to the New Territories.
What is the best season for satellite spotting in Hong Kong?
October to December. The dry northeast monsoon arrives, humidity drops, and the air steadies into the clearest conditions of the year. January and February stay reasonable if cooler. June to September is the wet season and the typhoon window — heavy cloud, high humidity and a lot of washed-out nights.
SPACE MIRROR WATCH
Hong Kong is in the coverage zone for EARENDIL-1, the first commercial space mirror from Reflect Orbital. When operational, the steerable mirror could illuminate Hong Kong during targeted passes. OrbitalSolar.ai tracks the mirror city by city →
WHAT'S VISIBLE FROM HERE
From Hong Kong (22.3°N) you have access to a wide range of satellites:
ISS →Reaches 90°, directly overhead. At magnitude −4 it cuts through even Central’s sky glow.
Tiangong →Also reaches 90° — China’s station passes overhead here, bright and easy.
Hubble →Directly overhead — Hong Kong is inside Hubble’s orbital band.
BlueBirds →Well placed overhead, and bright enough for urban skies.
Amazon Kuiper →Faint (mag 5). Not realistic from the urban areas — head for Sai Kung.
BEST DARK-SKY SPOTS
Victoria Peak
City option. Height and an open aspect, though the glow is right below.
Tai Mo Shan
45 min north. 957 m, the highest point in the SAR.
Sai Kung East Country Park
1 hr northeast. The darkest accessible sky in Hong Kong.
Po Toi Island
Ferry south. Open ocean horizon and no street lighting.
★ BEST: October – December
The dry northeast monsoon clears the summer humidity and brings the steadiest air of the year.
✗ AVOID: June – September
Wet season and typhoons — heavy cloud, haze and a lot of washed-out nights.
VISIBILITY FROM THIS CITY: Hubble reaches 90° from Hong Kong (22.3°N) — the city sits inside its 28.5-degree orbit, so it can pass directly overhead.
CITE THIS PAGE
OrbitalNodes.ai. “Hong Kong Satellite Tracker”. https://orbitalnodes.ai/hong-kong/
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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