Big Sur, California, USA

Saturday, October 19, 2024

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Big Sur, California, USA

That morning

Sunrise

7:18 AM

7:18 AM

Clears the mountains at 8:23 AM, 65 min after sunrise

6:52 AM Blue hour
7:18 AM Sunrise
7:53 AM Golden hour ends

Sunset

6:25 PM

6:25 PM

Behind the mountains at 5:21 PM, 64 min before sunset

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

5:50 PM Golden hour
6:25 PM Sunset
6:51 PM Blue hour ends

Rocket launch

Falcon 9 Block 5 | OneWeb 20

Launched - marginal from here

Lifted off 10:13 PM

Very LowExcellent
Look
SSE
Heading away from you
When
10:13 PM
Highest around 10:16 PM
Distance
132 mi
Climbs to
13°
Lighting
Dark sky
Launch site
Space Launch Complex 4E
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Landing
10:20 PM
Land - Landing Zone 4, back toward SSE

A bright climbing star and a flame. The vehicle is in shadow itself, so there is no lit plume behind it.

Meteor shower

Orionids

Best around 4:55 AM

Very LowExcellent
7:55 PM Dark enough
4:55 AM Best
5:49 AM Too light
Estimate
~5/hour
from a dark spot here
Radiant climbs to
69°
Under a perfect sky
20/hour
Moonlight
70% lost
Speed
66 km/s

Where they come from: Halley's Comet (1P/Halley)

Dust shed by Halley's Comet, the same stream as May's Eta Aquariids. The comet itself last came round in 1986 and returns in 2061; its dust arrives every October.

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.

Also from Halley's Comet. Fast meteors that often leave glowing trails.

Moon

Waning gibbous

92% lit

7:55 PM – 11:21 AM

ENE WNW
7:55 PM Moonrise
8:18 PM 4°
3:34 AM Highest, 80°
10:57 AM 4°
11:21 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 6:52 AM–7:18 AM
  • Sunrise 7:18 AM
  • Morning golden hour 7:18 AM–7:53 AM
  • Morning best color 7:20 AM
  • Moonset 10:06 AM
  • Evening golden hour 5:50 PM–6:25 PM
  • Sunset 6:25 PM
  • Evening blue hour 6:25 PM–6:51 PM
  • Fully dark 7:51 PM–5:53 AM
  • Dark, no Moon 7:51 PM–8:01 PM
  • Moonrise 7:55 PM

Upcoming celestial events for Big Sur, California, USA

Día de Muertos Día de Muertos in Big Sur - sunset at 5:10 PM
Mon 2 Nov 2026 5:10 PM Tiangong space station Bright pass, WNW to E, 40 deg up
Mon 2 Nov 2026 5:39 PM Southern Taurids Still active, a few an hour
Mon 2 Nov 2026 6:39 PM Northern Taurids Still active, a few an hour
Mon 2 Nov 2026 6:39 PM Falcon 9 Block 5 | USSF-432 Marginal, space jellyfish SSE
Tue 3 Nov 2026 5:28 PM Southern Taurids A few an hour
Wed 4 Nov 2026 6:37 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