Satellite Transits in Front of the Moon and Sun – June 2026

In June, the column on artificial satellite transits – International Space Station (ISS), Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and Chinese space station Tiangong – in front of the Sun and the Moon returns to present a selection of the most interesting events observable from Italy.

Before planning an observational session, it is important to remember that predictions regarding low Earth orbit satellites are never definitive; the action of residual atmosphere and periodic orbital correction maneuvers, especially in the case of the ISS and Tiangong, can indeed modify the predicted trajectories over time, making it necessary to verify updated events in the days immediately preceding the transit. The data used for the realization of the column comes from the Satellite Transit Finder service, an indispensable tool for those dedicated to the research and capture of these phenomena.

The reported events do not constitute a complete census of all theoretically visible transits during the month. Instead, it is a reasoned selection, built by seeking a compromise between the width of the visibility band, the height of the objects on the horizon, and the representativeness of the various satellites considered.

Index of Contents

• Transits visible from Northern Italy
  • Transit of the International Space Station in front of the Sun – June 21, 2026
  • Transit of the Tiangong space station in front of the Moon – night of June 29-30, 2026
• Transits visible from Central Italy
  • Transit of the International Space Station in front of the Sun – June 26, 2026
  • Transit of the Tiangong space station in front of the Moon – night of June 30-July 1, 2026
• Transits visible from Southern Italy
  • Transits of the Tiangong space station in front of the Sun – June 20 and 22, 2026
  • Transit of the International Space Station in front of the Moon – night of June 27-28, 2026

Transits Visible from Northern Italy

Transit of the International Space Station in front of the Sun – June 21, 2026

At 10:07:10 (local time) on June 21, 2026, the International Space Station will cross the solar disk. At the time of the transit, the Sun will be located in the East-Southeast direction (azimuth 104º) at an altitude of about 46º: a particularly favorable condition for observation, which will indeed be less penalized by the effects of atmospheric turbulence. Conversely, the event will be visible exclusively within a band just 5.5 km wide running through Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto.

During the 0.93 seconds of the transit, the ISS will appear as a dark silhouette moving at an apparent speed of 34’/s; its angular size will be about one-fortieth of that of the Sun.

Transit of the Tiangong space station in front of the Moon – night of June 29-30, 2026

On June 30, 2026, the Chinese space station Tiangong will create a lunar transit visible during the night hours, when our satellite – almost fully illuminated (99.8%) – will be at 13º above the South-Southwest horizon (azimuth 201º), in the constellation Sagittarius. The passage will occur at 02:55:06 (local time) and will be visible within a band about 26 km wide across Liguria, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, and Veneto, with possible observations from locations such as Genoa and Verona.

The phenomenon will last 1.78 seconds: during this interval, the Tiangong will cross the disk of the Moon as a dark silhouette moving rapidly. It will have an apparent speed of about 16.7’/s. The station, completely in shadow with respect to the Sun, will have an angular diameter of about 3″, appearing more than 577 times smaller than the lunar diameter.

Transits Visible from Central Italy

Transit of the International Space Station in front of the Sun – June 26, 2026

On the morning of June 26, 2026, there will be a solar transit primarily visible from the central regions of Italy. The visibility band, in addition to marginally cutting through Piedmont and Liguria, will cross Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche; cities such as Cuneo, Savona, La Spezia, Massa, as well as the Florentine plain and the surroundings of Recanati will be affected.

The phenomenon will occur at 07:45:56 (local time), with the Sun at about 20.8º in the East-Northeast direction (azimuth 77º); the geometry of the passage determines a rather narrow visibility band, about 15 km wide. At the moment of the transit, which will last 1.80 seconds, the ISS will move across the solar disk at an apparent speed of about 17.5’/s, appearing as a dark silhouette about seventy times smaller than the solar disk.

Transit of the Tiangong space station in front of the Moon – night of June 30-July 1, 2026

On July 1, 2026, at 01:56:14 (local time), there will be a lunar transit of the Tiangong space station. The Moon – just one day after the Full Moon – will be almost completely illuminated and will be located in the constellation Sagittarius, at about 21º in height in the South direction (azimuth about 178º).

As shown in the map, the event – lasting 1.15 seconds – will affect a band about 20 km wide that crosses latitudinally through central Italy between Lazio, Umbria, and Marche, touching cities such as Viterbo and Spoleto. In the brief transit interval, the Tiangong will move with an apparent speed of 25.9’/s, appearing as a small silhouette of 4”.

Transits Visible from Southern Italy

Transits of the Tiangong space station in front of the Sun – June 20 and 22, 2026

Around the summer solstice, between June 20 and 22, 2026, Southern Italy will experience two distinct transits of the Chinese space station Tiangong across the solar disk, both observable along a nearly overlapping geographical band involving Campania, Basilicata, and Puglia.

The first event will occur on June 20 at 08:06:48 (local time), with the ISS transiting in front of the Sun at about 27.6° in height in the East direction (azimuth 82º); it will be observable within a band just 7.15 km wide.

The second passage, on June 22 at 07:44:34 (local time), will take a very similar geometry but with the Sun slightly lower, at about **24° in the East-Northeast direction (azimuth 79º), and a slightly wider visibility band of 8.14 km.

The duration will be 1.69 and 2.07 seconds, respectively, with the Tiangong crossing the solar disk at angular speeds ranging from 15 to 19 arc minutes per second.

Transit of the International Space Station in front of the Moon – night of June 27-28, 2026

At 01:14:39 (local time) on June 28, the International Space Station will create a lunar transit under completely dark sky conditions, with the ISS already in shadow and the Moon illuminated at 96%, at about 15º in height in the Southwest direction (azimuth 207º).

As shown in the map, the visibility band – about 14 km wide – will cut through northern Sicily and then affect the border area between Campania and Basilicata and finally Puglia; areas near Palermo, Bari, and the Matera region will be favored for observation. The event will last 2.60 seconds, during which the ISS will cross the lunar disk at an apparent speed of about 11.4’/s, appearing as a dark silhouette about one seventy-eighth the size of the lunar disk.

In the cover image: "Parma, transit of the International Space Station (ISS) in front of the Moon (in Mineral Moon version)", image taken on May 31, 2020, by Lorenzo Cattani for Coelum and posted on this site on June 3, 2020.