🌙 Tonight's Sky in Beijing — Sat, October 17, 2026
China · 39.90°, 116.41° · Computed 10-18 10:42 UTC+8
🛰️ Tonight's naked-eye ISS pass
ISS over Beijing 03:57–04:01 · east→east-northeast · max 17°
emerges from Earth's shadow · A bright, steady star crosses the sky in 3–6 minutes, no blinking. No equipment needed — visible even from a city centre. (2×)
Tonight in brief
On Sat, October 17, 2026 the Sun sets over Beijing at 17:32; astronomical twilight ends at 19:02 and the sky is fully dark for 9.9 hours until 04:57, with sunrise at 06:27. The Moon is a first quarter (40.6% lit) and is already up at dusk, setting at 21:45 — after that the sky is moonless.
Naked-eye planets tonight: Jupiter, Mars, Saturn. Jupiter rises in the east at 01:15 and climbs to 52° in the southeast by 06:00 before dawn. Mars rises in the northeast at 00:16 and climbs to 62° in the southeast by 06:00 before dawn. Saturn is already 10° up in the east at dusk, peaks at 52° in the south at 23:11, and sets in the west at 05:19. Uranus (binoculars/telescope) rises in the northeast at 19:25 and climbs to 71° in the south by 02:42 before dawn. Neptune (binoculars/telescope) is already 15° up in the east at dusk, peaks at 50° in the south at 22:41, and sets in the west at 04:41. Venus is too close to the Sun to be seen tonight. Mercury stays too low on the horizon.
The International Space Station crosses from east to east-northeast between 03:57 and 04:01, reaching 17° and shining like a bright star to the naked eye — it pops out of Earth's shadow at 03:57. There are 2 visible passes tonight in total. Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS (JPL mag. 15) is highest at 19:29, 57° in the south; Comet 2P/Encke (JPL mag. 17.1) is highest at 22:39, 68° in the south — both remain telescope/imaging targets. Kp is 1 (quiet), so aurora is possible only above about 64.9° geomagnetic latitude — not expected from Beijing (latitude 39.9°). Coming up: Orionid meteor shower peak in 4 days, Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS perihelion in 41 days, Geminid meteor shower peak in 57 days.
☀️🌙 Sun & Moon
🪐 Planets — visible tonight?
- Mercury0.0Not visible · too lowRises · direction: already up at duskSets · direction: 18:21 · SW 244°Highest (altitude · direction · time): 3° · SW 240° · 17:59
- Venus-4.2Not visible · too close to the SunRises · direction: —Sets · direction: —Highest (altitude · direction · time): —
- Mars+1.0Visible · pre-dawnRises · direction: 00:16 (next day) · NE 65°Sets · direction: until dawnHighest (altitude · direction · time): 62° · SE 133° · 06:00 (next day)
- Jupiter-1.9Visible · pre-dawnRises · direction: 01:15 (next day) · E 70°Sets · direction: until dawnHighest (altitude · direction · time): 52° · SE 123° · 06:00 (next day)
- Saturn+0.3Visible · midnightRises · direction: already up at duskSets · direction: 05:19 (next day) · W 273°Highest (altitude · direction · time): 52° · S 180° · 23:11
- Uranus+5.6Visible · pre-dawnRises · direction: 19:25 · NE 62°Sets · direction: until dawnHighest (altitude · direction · time): 71° · S 180° · 02:42 (next day)
- Neptune+7.8Visible · midnightRises · direction: already up at duskSets · direction: 04:41 (next day) · W 270°Highest (altitude · direction · time): 50° · S 180° · 22:41
- Pluto+14.6Visible · eveningRises · direction: already up at duskSets · direction: 23:33 · SW 239°Highest (altitude · direction · time): 27° · S 180° · 18:56
Pluto is a dwarf planet at magnitude 14–15 — a large-telescope / imaging target
☄️ Comets 2P & 161P — tonight's position
| Comet | JPL predicted mag. | Highest | Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS RA 21.03h · Dec +6.5° · Δ 0.664 AU | 15.0 | 57° · S 179° · 19:29 | large telescope / imaging |
| Comet 2P/Encke RA 0.19h · Dec +17.9° · Δ 1.016 AU | 17.1 | 68° · S 179° · 22:39 | large telescope / imaging |
Magnitudes are JPL M1/K1 predictions and can differ from observations (COBS) by 2–3 magnitudes. Coordinates J2000.
🛰️ All ISS passes (24 h from local noon)
| Time | Start (dir.) | Max. elevation | End (dir.) | Visible? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:44–12:54 | W 291° | 15° · SW 225° | S 169° | Daylight (not visible) |
| 03:57 (next day)–04:01 | E 87° | 17° · E 87° | NE 62° | Visible to the naked eye |
| 05:30 (next day)–05:37 | W 276° | 35° · NW 327° | NE 48° | Visible to the naked eye |
| 07:05 (next day)–07:15 | W 291° | 13° · N 354° | NE 49° | Daylight (not visible) |
| 08:43 (next day)–08:52 | NW 311° | 13° · N 15° | E 70° | Daylight (not visible) |
| 10:20 (next day)–10:31 | NW 312° | 36° · NE 37° | E 108° | Daylight (not visible) |
ISS TLE epoch: 2026-10-17 19:43 UTC · CelesTrak
📡 Receiving passes — Meteor-M N2-4 · NOAA-20 · NOAA-21 (max. elevation ≥ 20°)
For direct reception of 137.9 MHz LRPT (Meteor) and X-band (NOAA-20/21); day or night. Dish pointing angles are in the Sky & Impact Lab → Sat Pass tab.
| Satellite | Time | Max. elevation | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOAA-21 | 12:29–12:44 | 46° · E 76° | 15 min |
| NOAA-20 | 13:25–13:41 | 64° · W 257° | 15 min |
| Meteor-M N2-4 | 13:31–13:45 | 29° · E 70° | 14 min |
| NOAA-21 | 14:10–14:24 | 22° · W 265° | 14 min |
| Meteor-M N2-4 | 15:10–15:25 | 36° · W 261° | 15 min |
| NOAA-20 | 01:44 (next day)–02:00 | 56° · E 103° | 15 min |
| NOAA-21 | 02:28 (next day)–02:43 | 51° · NW 296° | 15 min |
| Meteor-M N2-4 | 03:27 (next day)–03:43 | 86° · W 255° | 15 min |
🌌 Space weather in one line
Kp 1 · Quiet · aurora possible above 64.9° geomagnetic latitudeNOAA SWPC 2026-10-17T21:00
📅 Coming up
- in 4 daysOct 21Orionid meteor shower peak
Dust from Halley's Comet — night of Oct 21–22, about 10–20 per hour (AMS observed rate). The Moon sets after midnight, so pre-dawn is best.
Source: AMS Meteor Shower Calendar · Wiki
- in 41 daysNov 27Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS perihelion
The Halley-type comet, back after 21.5 years, reaches its closest point to the Sun (1.28 AU). A telescope/imaging target at magnitude 10–12.
Source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database · Wiki
- in 57 daysDec 13Geminid meteor shower peak
The richest shower of the year — night of Dec 13–14, with a 15%-lit Moon: good conditions.
Source: AMS Meteor Shower Calendar
🌍 Other cities
How this is computed
Planets, Moon and Sun: astronomy-engine (VSOP87, refraction-corrected). Comets: two-body propagation of JPL SBDB elements. Satellites: CelesTrak TLE + SGP4. An ISS pass is “visible” when the Sun is at least 6° below the observer's horizon and the satellite is outside Earth's shadow (cylindrical model). A planet is “visible” when it reaches 5° altitude after civil dusk. All times are in the city's time zone; the date rolls to the next night at local noon. Recomputed every 30 minutes.