Big Sur, California, USA

Sunday, May 3, 2026

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Big Sur, California, USA Sunday 3 May 2026

Meteor shower

Eta Aquariids

Active, around 11 an hour

Best around 5:14 AM

Radiant climbs to
28°
Under a perfect sky
50/hour
Moonlight
38% lost
Speed
66 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.

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

Rocket launch

Falcon 9 Block 5 | CAS500-2 & Others

Launched - fair from here

Lifted off 12:00 AM

Very LowExcellent
Look
SSE
Heading away from you
When
12:00 AM
Highest around 12:09 AM
Distance
132 mi
Climbs to
43°
Lighting
Dark sky
Launch site
Space Launch Complex 4E
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Landing
12:07 AM
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.

That morning

Sunrise

6:11 AM

6:11 AM

5:43 AM Blue hour
6:11 AM Sunrise
6:47 AM Golden hour ends

Sunset

7:56 PM

7:56 PM

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

7:20 PM Golden hour
7:56 PM Sunset
8:24 PM Blue hour ends

Moon

Waning gibbous

96% lit

10:24 PM – 7:42 AM

SE SW
10:24 PM Moonrise
10:49 PM 4°
3:03 AM Highest, 26°
7:17 AM 4°
7:42 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 5:43 AM–6:11 AM
  • Sunrise 6:11 AM
  • Morning golden hour 6:11 AM–6:47 AM
  • Morning best color 6:19 AM
  • Moonset 7:00 AM
  • Evening golden hour 7:20 PM–7:56 PM
  • Sunset 7:56 PM
  • Evening blue hour 7:56 PM–8:24 PM
  • Fully dark 9:33 PM–4:33 AM
  • Dark, no Moon 9:33 PM–10:23 PM
  • Moonrise 10:24 PM
← Previous day Saturday Sat, May 2
Next day → Monday Mon, May 4

Upcoming celestial events for Big Sur, California, USA

Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer A Marginal, look SSE
Sat 10 Oct 2026 12:29 AM Tiangong space station Bright pass, N to E, 37 deg up
Sat 10 Oct 2026 5:38 AM New moon Moonless and fully dark 8:10 PM to 5:40 AM Fri 9 Oct 2026 8:50 AM Milky Way Visible 8:03 PM to 9:03 PM with no moon, 16° above the south-southwestern horizon - 4 nights 9 Oct to 12 Oct
Sat 10 Oct 2026 8:03 PM Tiangong space station Brilliant pass, WNW to ESE, 81 deg up
Sun 11 Oct 2026 6:14 AM Tropical Storm Rachel Outer clouds at most, passing to the east
Sun 11 Oct 2026 8:19 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