Big Sur, California, USA

Friday, January 2, 2026

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Big Sur, California, USA

Meteor shower

Quadrantids

Around 38 an hour

Best around 5:34 AM

Radiant climbs to
55°
Under a perfect sky
110/hour
Moonlight
50% lost
Speed
41 km/s

The rate at the top 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. Clouds are not counted here: check the sunset page for those.

Its peak is short: only a few hours either side of it are worth watching.

Rocket launch

Falcon 9 Block 5 | CSG-3

Launched - good from here

Lifted off 6:09 PM

Very LowExcellent
Look
SSE
Heading away from you
When
6:09 PM
Highest around 6:18 PM
Distance
132 mi
Climbs to
43°
Lighting
Twilight window
Launch site
Space Launch Complex 4E
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Landing
6:17 PM
Land - Landing Zone 4, back toward SSE

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

7:18 AM

7:18 AM

6:50 AM Blue hour
7:18 AM Sunrise
7:58 AM Golden hour ends

Full moon

Full Wolf Moon

Rises 4:17 PM in the NE

4:17 PM – 7:53 AM

Named for the wolves heard howling on long midwinter nights.

ENE WNW
4:17 PM Moonrise
4:41 PM 4°
12:07 AM Highest, 81°
7:30 AM 4°
7:53 AM Moonset

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

Rises
4:17 PM in the NE
Exactly full
2:03 AM
Distance
225,151 mi

The disc is biggest and most orange in the first half hour above the horizon, and moonrise here is worked out to the minute for a flat horizon.

Sunset

5:04 PM

5:04 PM

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

4:24 PM Golden hour
5:04 PM Sunset
5:32 PM Blue hour ends

Timetable

  • Morning blue hour 6:50 AM–7:18 AM
  • Moonset 6:55 AM
  • Morning best color 7:15 AM
  • Sunrise 7:18 AM
  • Morning golden hour 7:18 AM–7:58 AM
  • Moonrise 4:18 PM
  • Evening golden hour 4:24 PM–5:04 PM
  • Sunset 5:04 PM
  • Evening blue hour 5:04 PM–5:32 PM
  • Fully dark 6:35 PM–5:47 AM
  • Dark, no Moon Not tonight - the Moon is up

Upcoming celestial events for Big Sur, California, USA

International Space Station Bright pass, SSW to ENE, 32 deg up
Wed 14 Oct 2026 5:53 AM Tiangong space station Modest pass, WSW to S, 16 deg up
Wed 14 Oct 2026 6:30 AM Orionids Around 18 an hour
Tue 20 Oct 2026 5:24 AM Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 15-16 Fair, look SSE
Fri 23 Oct 2026 10:29 PM Full Hunter's Moon Rises 5:49 PM in the ENE Sun 25 Oct 2026 5:49 PM Southern Taurids A few an hour
Wed 4 Nov 2026 12:37 AM 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

Every celestial event, and where else to see it