Space Stations ISS and CSS “over” Vale de Barris — Palmela, Portugal

On May 27, 2026, the International Space Station (ISS) and China’s Tiangong Space Station (CSS) were visible nearly at the same time from Vale de Barris, Palmela, Portugal.

The ISS was visible from 22:30 to 22:34, reaching a magnitude of -1.8, while the CSS was visible from 22:31 to 22:37, reaching a magnitude of -2.6. Although both space stations were physically tens or hundreds of kilometres away and not directly over Vale de Barris, they produced a visibility overlap of several minutes from the observer’s point of view, crossing the same region of the sky as seen from Palmela Castle , Portugal.

The ISS appears as the long, shallow trail across the scene, moving from west to east, while the brighter CSS trail crosses the sky at a steeper angle.

The overlap between both passes created a rare visual alignment, with two human-made orbital structures visible and captured at the same time.

The image was recorded under a Moon with 89.2% illumination, which brightened the landscape and reduced the visibility of fainter stars.

Near the lower right, short trails of Jupiter and Venus descend toward the horizon, above the distant glow from the southwestern area of Lisbon.

The image was planned in advance using satellite pass predictions and captured as a long-exposure nightscape, combining the terrestrial landscape with the trails of both space stations crossing the sky.

Camera - SONY A7III
Lens - LAOWA 15mmF2

Sky - 37 images F2,8 , 5" , ISO 250
Foreground - 1 image F5 , 30" , ISO 250 - Moon with 89,2% illumination
The images of ISS and CSS were stacked and blended together with foreground in Photoshop