Predicted pass geometry, viewing conditions, and beam footprint data for Paris when EARENDIL-1 — the first commercial orbital mirror — launches later in 2026.
High pass — well placed above the rooftops for most of its transit.
90°Overhead Pass
SW→SERises · Sets
3–5Passes / Week
mag −4Peak Brightness
Predicted geometry for the planned 88° near-polar orbit at 625 km. Eärendil-1 has not launched, so these are modelled figures, not observations — and because the orbit is not sun-synchronous, pass times drift through the year rather than recurring at a fixed hour.
PARIS48.9°NViewing conditions by month
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Best monthsLess favourable
Best: OCT–MAR. Northern winter — long dark nights and the most reliable clear spells.
90°Overhead Pass
3–5/wkPasses
B8Bortle
Seasonal guidance only — based on this location’s latitude and climate, not on Eärendil-1 observations. The mirror has not launched, and because its orbit is not sun-synchronous the pass times themselves drift through the year independently of the weather.
PASS GEOMETRY
What to Expect in Paris
LATITUDE AND PASS GEOMETRY
At 48.9°N in the Northern Hemisphere, EARENDIL-1 passes are rising in the SW and crossing toward the SE. The mirror can pass directly overhead — an 88° orbit crosses this latitude. EARENDIL-1 orbits in an 88° near-polar orbit at 600–650km altitude, meaning it will pass over Paris multiple times per week when operational. The mirror is steerable — it will only be at full brightness during targeted commercial passes.
VIEWING WINDOW
OCT–MAR offers the best conditions. Like Berlin, Paris suffers summer twilight at its latitude. October through March is prime: long nights, clear anticyclone conditions, and the spectacular winter Milky Way rising in the south. Like all satellites, EARENDIL-1 is only visible during twilight — when your sky is dark but the mirror is still in direct sunlight.
LIGHT POLLUTION BORTLE 8
City sky — significant light pollution. EARENDIL-1 at magnitude −4 is bright enough to be clearly visible from central Paris regardless of light pollution — comparable to Venus at maximum brightness. For darker skies, Fontainebleau Forest (70km south) or Loire Valley (150km SW) offers better conditions.
LOCAL CONTEXT
Paris has a special connection to the space mirror concept — Ben Nowack of Reflect Orbital has specifically cited a French artist's 1950s vision of a necklace of mirrors above the Earth reflecting sunlight through Paris as the direct inspiration for the company. The first commercial space mirror is in a sense a Parisian idea made Californian.
5KM BEAM FOOTPRINT
The 5km beam footprint could target the area from the Eiffel Tower to Notre-Dame. A commercial pass over Paris — lighting the Seine from orbit — would be Reflect Orbital's most symbolically resonant demonstration.
OBSERVER GUIDE
What EARENDIL-1 Will Look Like from Paris
From Paris, EARENDIL-1 passes will appear as a fast-moving point of light crossing the sky in approximately 3–4 minutes. At peak brightness it will reach magnitude −4 — comparable to Venus at maximum and clearly visible even from the city centre. It will be one of the brightest objects in the sky during a pass.
The mirror is steerable — between targeted commercial passes, Reflect Orbital tilts it away from Earth, making it much dimmer. During an active pass you'll see a sudden brightening as the beam angle locks onto the target region, then abrupt dimming when the mirror tilts away again.
Track EARENDIL-1 from Paris at Launch
OrbitalNodes.ai will provide real-time pass predictions for Paris from the moment EARENDIL-1's orbital data is published. No app download required.
OrbitalSolar.ai. “EARENDIL-1 Over Paris”. https://orbitalsolar.ai/paris/
Figures on this page are modelled from Eärendil-1’s planned 88° orbit at 625 km — the spacecraft has not launched, so nothing here is an observation. Released under CC BY 4.0: quote, republish or build on it with credit to OrbitalSolar.ai.
FRANCE