Satellites Visible from Mumbai Tonight | ISS & Starlink Pass Times

Q: How high does the ISS appear from Mumbai?

Up to 48° on the best passes. From 19.1°N the ISS passes at moderate elevations — up to 48° on good passes. The lower latitude means passes are less frequent but the warm clear-season skies compensate.

Q: Can I see Starlink satellites from Mumbai?

5–7 Starlinks above horizon at any time above the horizon at any time. Freshly launched trains are the most spectacular sight.

VIEWING FROM MUMBAI

YOUR LATITUDE AND WHAT IT MEANS

From 19.1°N the ISS passes at moderate elevations — up to 48° on good passes. The lower latitude means passes are less frequent but the warm clear-season skies compensate. The ISS orbits at a 51.6° inclination, meaning it passes within 51.6° of the equator on each orbit. From Mumbai at 19.1°N this creates frequent high-elevation passes overhead when the geometry aligns.

TWILIGHT WINDOW

November through May — dry season with excellent transparency. Monsoon season June–September brings heavy cloud — avoid for satellite spotting. Satellites are only visible when your sky is dark but the satellite is still in direct sunlight — the twilight window of approximately 35–50 minutes after sunset. Outside this window satellites are either invisible in daylight or in Earth's shadow.

LIGHT POLLUTION BORTLE 9

Inner city sky — extreme light pollution. The ISS and Tiangong are bright enough to see from central Mumbai regardless of light pollution. Individual Starlinks are fainter — best spotted from suburbs or nearby dark sky areas. Matheran (~90km), Nashik (~175km) offer significantly darker skies.

STARLINK FROM MUMBAI

At any given moment, 5–7 Starlinks above horizon at any time are above Mumbai's horizon. During twilight the sunlit ones are visible to the naked eye. Freshly launched Starlink trains — groups of 20–60 satellites in tight formation — are particularly spectacular and visible for several days after each SpaceX launch. OrbitalNodes.ai detects trains automatically and shows which direction to look.

LOCAL LANDMARK GUIDE

The ISS can be seen rising over the Arabian Sea in the west and crossing toward the Eastern Express Highway. Use the compass on your phone to orient yourself before the pass — knowing which direction is SW or NW before it starts makes a big difference. The OrbitalNodes app gives you plain-English directions updated every 2 seconds.

OrbitalNodes.ai calculates exact pass times for Mumbai's coordinates — times, directions, and when each satellite is actually visible versus just overhead. No app download needed.

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ISS AND SATELLITE FAQ — MUMBAI

When is the best time to see the ISS from Mumbai?

November through May — dry season with excellent transparency. The ISS is only visible during twilight — roughly 35–50 minutes after sunset — when your sky is dark but the station is still in direct sunlight. During this window it appears as a very bright, steady light moving smoothly across the sky in about 4–6 minutes. Check OrbitalNodes.ai for tonight's exact pass time from Mumbai.

How high does the ISS appear from Mumbai?

From 19.1°N the ISS passes at moderate elevations — up to 48° on good passes. The lower latitude means passes are less frequent but the warm clear-season skies compensate. The elevation varies pass by pass — some nights it skims near the horizon at 20–30°, other nights it passes nearly overhead. Higher elevation passes are brighter (the ISS is closer to you) and give you more time to observe it crossing the sky.

Can I see Starlink satellites from Mumbai?

Yes — 5–7 Starlinks above horizon at any time at any one time. Individual satellites are faint but visible from dark suburban areas. The most dramatic sight is a freshly launched Starlink train — a string of 20–60 bright dots in perfect formation that appears several times in the week following each SpaceX launch. OrbitalNodes.ai detects trains automatically and alerts you when one is approaching Mumbai.

What direction does the ISS travel from Mumbai?

The ISS travels typically W to E at low to moderate elevations as seen from Mumbai. It always moves in a consistent direction on any given pass — never backwards, never hovering. A useful rule: satellites never blink (aircraft do) and move noticeably faster than the stars. The OrbitalNodes app gives you the exact bearing to watch before the pass begins.

What else can I see in Mumbai's sky?

Beyond the ISS and Starlink, Tiangong (China's space station) is nearly as bright as the ISS and passes regularly. Hubble Space Telescope is visible with the naked eye under dark skies. Planets — Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn — are not satellites but are often mistaken for one. OrbitalNodes.ai shows all of these alongside satellite passes.

Satellites Visible fromMumbai Tonight