Satellites Visible from Tokyo
Tonight
Satellite viewing from Tokyo on the night of 10 August 2026 is rated FAIR NIGHT: 1 visible ISS, Tiangong or Hubble pass, the best reaching 10° above the horizon. The best window for satellite spotting over Tokyo on 10 August 2026 is 02:38–04:18 and 18:54–20:34 GMT+9, 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.
At 9pm local on 10 August 2026, no naked-eye planets are above the horizon from Tokyo. Planets rise and set like the stars, so the picture changes through the night and across the year.
Tokyo (35.7°N) — a mid-latitude position that gets frequent, favourably-angled passes year-round.
Tokyo sits at 35.7°N under one of the largest light domes on Earth — yet the ISS at magnitude −4 outshines all of it, crossing at up to 90° elevation. The metropolis that hosts JAXA's operations can watch the station, China's Tiangong and Starlink trains pass overhead. Slip out to the Tama River or the western hills and the fainter traffic appears too.
Evening twilight begins 25–30 minutes after sunset. Best months: late autumn and winter (November–February), when the dry northwesterly monsoon brings crisp, transparent skies. Avoid the tsuyu rainy season (June–mid-July) and the August–September typhoon season.
🛰 SEE SATELLITES OVER TOKYO NOWSATELLITE SPOTTING FROM TOKYO
When can I see the ISS from Tokyo?
The ISS is visible during twilight — roughly 25–35 minutes after sunset or before sunrise. At 35.7°N Tokyo gets passes up to 90° elevation, and at magnitude −4 the station cuts straight through the city's light dome. Tokyo stays on JST year-round with no daylight saving. Yoyogi Park or the open Tama River banks give the clearest sightlines in the city.
What satellites are visible from Tokyo?
Tokyo can see the ISS (magnitude −4), China's Tiangong station (same orbit, slightly dimmer and a notable sight from Japan), the Hubble Space Telescope (29° max from this latitude), AST BlueBirds, and Starlink trains after launches. The fainter objects need a dark site like Okutama or the Izu Peninsula.
Where is the best place to watch satellites in Tokyo?
In the city, Yoyogi Park, Komazawa Olympic Park and the wide Tama River embankments give open sky with less direct glare. For darker skies head west to Mount Takao (50km, Bortle 4–5) or Okutama (70km, Bortle 3–4), or south to the Izu Peninsula for proper darkness and a clean Pacific horizon.
Can I see satellites from central Tokyo?
Yes for the bright ones — the ISS and Tiangong punch through the Shinjuku and Shibuya glow from any open spot like a riverside or a park lawn. Fainter BlueBirds (magnitude 3) and Starlink trains want the Tama River or the western hills away from the neon.
Does Tokyo's latitude help?
At 35.7°N — similar to Los Angeles and Tehran — the ISS reaches a high 90°, with four to five visible passes most weeks. In Tokyo the limiting factor is never the geometry; it's light pollution and the humid summer, not the sky.
What is the best season for satellite spotting in Tokyo?
November to February: the dry winter monsoon delivers Tokyo's clearest, most transparent nights. Spring (March–May) brings kasumi haze.
Tokyo is in the coverage zone for EARENDIL-1, the first commercial space mirror from Reflect Orbital. When operational, the steerable mirror could illuminate Tokyo during targeted passes. OrbitalSolar.ai has full pass predictions for Tokyo →
WHAT'S VISIBLE FROM HERE
From Tokyo (35.7°N) you have access to a wide range of satellites: