Big Sur, California, USA

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

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TODAY
Big Sur, California, USA

Rocket launch

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-29

Launched - good from here

Lifted off 8:59 PM

Very LowExcellent
Look
SSE
Heading away from you
When
8:59 PM
Highest around 9:08 PM
Distance
132 mi
Climbs to
43°
Lighting
Twilight window
Launch site
Space Launch Complex 4E
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Landing
Sea - Of Course I Still Love You
Too far downrange to see

The sun is far enough down that the ground is dark and still high enough to light the plume: exhaust expanding into near-vacuum turns into a glowing bell visible for hundreds of miles.

Meteor shower

Eta Aquariids

Best around 3:43 AM

Very LowExcellent
9:28 PM Dark enough
12:08 AM Moonrise
3:43 AM Best
4:38 AM Too light
Estimate
~6/hour
from a dark spot here
Radiant climbs to
12°
Under a perfect sky
50/hour
Moonlight
40% lost
Speed
66 km/s

The estimate is how many you might really see from a dark spot here, allowing for how high the shower climbs and for moonlight. "Under a perfect sky" is the best case. The bar also counts the forecast cloud at the best time, so a clouded-out night sits at the bottom, as does rain on the radar now.

Comes from Halley's Comet. Best from the Southern Hemisphere, in the hours before dawn.

That morning

Sunrise

6:09 AM

6:09 AM

5:41 AM Blue hour
6:09 AM Sunrise
6:45 AM Golden hour ends

Sunset

7:58 PM

7:58 PM

Too far ahead for a weather forecast. These are the sun's own times - they will not change.

7:22 PM Golden hour
7:58 PM Sunset
8:26 PM Blue hour ends

Moon

Waning gibbous

86% lit

12:08 AM – 9:27 AM

SE SW
12:08 AM Moonrise
12:33 AM 4°
4:48 AM Highest, 26°
9:02 AM 4°
9:27 AM Moonset

Between the two 4° marks the Moon is clear of haze and most of what stands on the horizon.

Timetable

  • Morning blue hour 5:41 AM–6:09 AM
  • Morning best color 5:58 AM
  • Sunrise 6:09 AM
  • Morning golden hour 6:09 AM–6:45 AM
  • Moonset 8:32 AM
  • Evening golden hour 7:22 PM–7:58 PM
  • Sunset 7:58 PM
  • Evening blue hour 7:58 PM–8:26 PM
  • Fully dark 9:36 PM–4:30 AM
  • Dark, no Moon 9:36 PM–12:16 AM

Upcoming celestial events for Big Sur, California, USA

Tiangong space station Modest pass, W to W, 17 deg up
Fri 23 Oct 2026 8:32 PM Orionids Active, around 7 an hour
Fri 23 Oct 2026 7:51 PM Full Hunter's Moon Rises 5:49 PM in the ENE Sun 25 Oct 2026 5:49 PM Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 15-16 Marginal, look SSE
Mon 26 Oct 2026 9:45 PM Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 15-18 Marginal, look SSE
Thu 29 Oct 2026 9:02 PM Partial lunar eclipse 6% of the Moon in shadow
Tue 11 Jan 2028 8:13 PM Partial solar eclipse 54.1% of the Sun covered
Sun 14 Jan 2029 8:21 AM Total lunar eclipse 48% of it above your horizon
Mon 25 Jun 2029 8:22 PM Partial solar eclipse 0.9% of the Sun covered
Fri 14 Nov 2031 1:27 PM Partial solar eclipse 34.5% of the Sun covered
Wed 30 Mar 2033 10:20 AM Total lunar eclipse Totality lasts 78 minutes
Fri 7 Oct 2033 3:55 AM Partial solar eclipse 3.5% of the Sun covered
Sun 2 Sep 2035 7:33 PM Total lunar eclipse 45% of it above your horizon
Wed 6 Aug 2036 7:51 PM Partial solar eclipse 7.2% of the Sun covered
Thu 9 Apr 2043 11:41 AM Partial solar eclipse 81.6% of the Sun covered
Tue 23 Aug 2044 7:05 PM Partial solar eclipse 88.4% of the Sun covered
Sat 12 Aug 2045 9:17 AM

Every celestial event, and where else to see it