China's Tiangong space station to light up Kerala skies at 7.26 pm

If you are tired of tracking the International Space Station (ISS), there is a spectacular celestial treat waiting for you tonight in Kerala. China's independent space station, Tiangong, will make a rare and highly visible pass directly over Kerala. Stargazers across the state will have a golden opportunity to spot the spacecraft with the naked eye on September 18.

The orbital flyover is scheduled to begin at 7.26 pm and will last for approximately four minutes, wrapping up by 7.30 pm. Weather permitting, the station will first emerge in the north-western sky over the Arabian Sea, passing over the Konkan coast before gliding directly over Kerala. As it travels southwards, the bright, star-like object will be clearly visible from North Malabar down to the southern tip of the state. By 7.30 pm, it will cross southern Tamil Nadu and head towards Sri Lanka by 7.31 pm, fading from view.

Orbiting at an altitude of approximately 400 km, the T-shaped Tiangong station resembles a dragonfly in flight. It is currently one of the brightest man-made objects in the night sky, ranked only behind the Sun, the Moon, and the ISS. In terms of visual magnitude, it appears nearly as large as Venus, though slightly less luminous, and travels at a speed comparable to the ISS.

Currently, there are only two operational space stations in Earth's orbit: the ISS and Tiangong, whose name translates to "Heavenly Palace". China built its own space station after being barred from participating in the NASA-led ISS project. Three Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts, are currently aboard the station conducting various scientific experiments and research trials.