Lompoc, California, USA

Friday, July 18, 2025

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Lompoc, California, USA

Rocket launch

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-3

Launched - good from here

Lifted off 8:52 PM

Very LowExcellent

Space jellyfish possible 8:57 PM–9:00 PM, SSW about 19° up

Look
W
Crossing your sky
When
8:52 PM
Highest around 9:01 PM
Distance
9 mi
Climbs to
86°
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

6:02 AM

6:02 AM

5:33 AM Blue hour
6:02 AM Sunrise
6:38 AM Golden hour ends

Sunset

8:13 PM

8:13 PM

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

7:37 PM Golden hour
8:13 PM Sunset
8:42 PM Blue hour ends

Milky Way

Milky Way

Poor viewing

Visible from 9:54 PM

Very LowExcellent
Visible, no moon
9:54 PM to 12:54 AM
Where to look
Southern horizon, up to 26° above it
Highest at
10:54 PM
Sky fully dark
9:54 PM to 4:22 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

41% lit

12:21 AM – 2:21 PM

ENE WNW
12:21 AM Moonrise
12:41 AM 4°
7:17 AM Highest, 72°
2:00 PM 4°
2:21 PM Moonset

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

Timetable

  • Moonrise 12:21 AM
  • Morning blue hour 5:33 AM–6:02 AM
  • Morning best color 5:52 AM
  • Sunrise 6:02 AM
  • Morning golden hour 6:02 AM–6:38 AM
  • Moonset 2:21 PM
  • Evening golden hour 7:37 PM–8:13 PM
  • Sunset 8:13 PM
  • Evening blue hour 8:13 PM–8:42 PM
  • Fully dark 9:54 PM–4:22 AM
  • Dark, no Moon 9:54 PM–1:04 AM

Upcoming celestial events for Lompoc, California, USA

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 15-15 Fair, look W
Tue 20 Oct 2026 4:10 PM Orionids Around 18 an hour
Tue 20 Oct 2026 7:51 PM Tiangong space station Modest pass, SSW to SE, 23 deg up
Wed 21 Oct 2026 7:19 PM Tiangong space station Bright pass, WSW to WSW, 55 deg up
Thu 22 Oct 2026 7:55 PM Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 15-16 Excellent, look W
Fri 23 Oct 2026 10:29 PM Full Hunter's Moon Rises 5:47 PM in the ENE Sun 25 Oct 2026 5:47 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