Lompoc, California, USA

Sunday, April 20, 2025

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Lompoc, California, USA

Rocket launch

Falcon 9 Block 5 | NROL-145

Launched - good from here

Lifted off 5:29 AM

Very LowExcellent

Space jellyfish possible 5:34 AM–5:37 AM, SSE about 17° up

Look
W
Crossing your sky
When
5:29 AM
Highest around 5:30 AM
Distance
9 mi
Climbs to
56°
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.

That morning

Sunrise

6:23 AM

6:23 AM

5:57 AM Blue hour
6:23 AM Sunrise
6:57 AM Golden hour ends

Sunset

7:38 PM

7:38 PM

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

7:03 PM Golden hour
7:38 PM Sunset
8:04 PM Blue hour ends

Meteor shower

Lyrids

Best around 3:53 AM

Very LowExcellent
9:08 PM Dark enough
2:47 AM Moonrise
3:53 AM Best
4:52 AM Too light
Estimate
~11/hour
from a dark spot here, off its peak night
Radiant climbs to
74°
Under a perfect sky
18/hour
Moonlight
11% lost
Speed
49 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.

Usually steady, but now and then it has a short burst of many more.

Milky Way

Milky Way

Poor viewing

Visible from 1:08 AM

Very LowExcellent
Visible, no moon
1:08 AM to 2:38 AM
Where to look
South-southeastern horizon, up to 19° above it
Highest at
2:38 AM
Sky fully dark
9:08 PM to 4:51 AM
Sky darkness
Limited
Cloud
Not forecast yet

The bright center of the Milky Way: when it is above the horizon with the sky fully dark and the Moon set, brought down for how dark the sky is here (estimated from the towns around by Walker's law) and for cloud where the forecast reaches.

Moon

Last quarter

53% lit

2:47 AM – 12:58 PM

ESE WSW
2:47 AM Moonrise
3:09 AM 4°
7:52 AM Highest, 33°
12:35 PM 4°
12:58 PM Moonset

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

Timetable

  • Moonrise 2:07 AM
  • Morning blue hour 5:57 AM–6:23 AM
  • Morning best color 6:18 AM
  • Sunrise 6:23 AM
  • Morning golden hour 6:23 AM–6:57 AM
  • Moonset 11:51 AM
  • Evening golden hour 7:03 PM–7:38 PM
  • Sunset 7:38 PM
  • Evening blue hour 7:38 PM–8:04 PM
  • Fully dark 9:08 PM–4:51 AM
  • Dark, no Moon 9:08 PM–2:48 AM

Upcoming celestial events for Lompoc, California, USA

Full Hunter's Moon Rises 5:47 PM in the ENE Sun 25 Oct 2026 5:47 PM Tiangong space station Modest pass, WNW to NW, 21 deg up
Sun 25 Oct 2026 8:10 PM Tiangong space station Bright pass, W to NE, 34 deg up
Mon 26 Oct 2026 7:10 PM Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 15-16 Excellent, look W
Mon 26 Oct 2026 9:45 PM Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 15-18 Excellent, look W
Thu 29 Oct 2026 9:02 PM Halloween Halloween night in Lompoc - waning gibbous moon Sat 31 Oct 2026 6:00 PM Partial lunar eclipse 6% of the Moon in shadow
Tue 11 Jan 2028 8:13 PM Partial solar eclipse 51.8% of the Sun covered
Sun 14 Jan 2029 8:20 AM Total lunar eclipse 52% of it above your horizon
Mon 25 Jun 2029 8:22 PM Partial solar eclipse 2% of the Sun covered
Fri 14 Nov 2031 1:32 PM Partial solar eclipse 29.6% of the Sun covered
Wed 30 Mar 2033 10:19 AM Total lunar eclipse Totality lasts 78 minutes
Fri 7 Oct 2033 3:55 AM Partial solar eclipse 0.6% of the Sun covered
Sun 2 Sep 2035 7:26 PM Total lunar eclipse 49% of it above your horizon
Wed 6 Aug 2036 7:51 PM Partial solar eclipse 3.8% of the Sun covered
Thu 9 Apr 2043 11:39 AM Partial solar eclipse 79.6% of the Sun covered
Tue 23 Aug 2044 7:08 PM Partial solar eclipse 81.5% of the Sun covered
Sat 12 Aug 2045 9:18 AM

Every celestial event, and where else to see it