NASA astronaut Chris Williams documented the vibrant Lunar New Year fireworks over Beijing and Tianjin from the International Space Station (ISS) on February 17, 2026. The footage provides a unique perspective on the celebrations below, showcasing the scale of the festivities as seen from 250 miles above Earth.
Fireworks Visible from Orbit
Williams captured a mesmerizing view of the fireworks displays illuminating China’s major cities. The time-lapse footage reveals an impressive network of highways and urban centers, with the fireworks appearing as static-like bursts against the night sky.
“Happy Year of the Horse,” Williams wrote in a social media post, “I was fortunate to be looking out of the Cupola while we were passing over Beijing and saw the twinkling of fireworks celebrating the Lunar New Year!”
This event highlights how even large-scale events on Earth can be observed from space, demonstrating the interconnectedness of global celebrations and space exploration.
Celebrations Aboard Tiangong
Meanwhile, Chinese taikonauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang celebrated the Lunar New Year aboard the Tiangong Space Station with festive decorations and a traditional feast. They also shared a music video partially filmed in orbit, titled “Let the five-star red flag fly high in space,” further showcasing the cultural significance of the holiday in space.
Spacecraft in View
The footage also provides a glimpse of other spacecraft docked at the ISS. A circular solar panel from the Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft NG-23 is visible on the right, having delivered 11,000 pounds of supplies in September 2025.
To the left of the Cygnus is the MS-28 Soyuz spacecraft, which launched from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome last November despite causing damage to the launchpad during liftoff. The spacecraft, carrying Williams, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev, is scheduled to return to Earth this summer.
Finally, the Russian docking node “Prichal,” installed in 2021, is visible at the bottom left, providing additional docking capabilities for crewed and cargo spacecraft.
The combination of cultural celebrations and ongoing space operations underscores the integration of tradition and technological advancement in modern society. The footage serves as a reminder of how humanity celebrates its traditions even while pushing the boundaries of space exploration.
