The night sky over Perth when the city turned on its lights for John Glenn
On February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, in the Friendship 7 capsule. In Western Australia, his first pass overhead came late at night.
People in Perth and nearby towns switched on their house lights, car headlights and street lights so Glenn could see them from space. He did, and Perth became known as the City of Light.
The sky above Perth, Western Australia on February 20, 1962
The sky was fully dark. There was a waning gibbous Moon in the sky, 99% lit. It stood 43° above the horizon in the northeast, in the constellation Leo. No planet was bright enough and high enough to see.
- Local time
- 11:42 p.m.
- Time in UTC
- February 20, 1962 at 3:42 p.m. UTC
- Sun
- Night
- Sun position
- 46° below the horizon
- Moon phase
- waning gibbous Moon
- Moon lit
- 99%
- Moon position
- 43° above the horizon in the northeast
| Planet | Visible | Direction | Altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | No | south | -40° |
| Venus | No | southwest | -44° |
| Mars | No | south | -40° |
| Jupiter | No | south | -43° |
| Saturn | No | south | -37° |
| Uranus | With a telescope | north | 44° |
| Neptune | With a telescope | east | 16° |
| Star | Constellation | Direction | Altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sirius | Canis Major | west | 50° |
| Canopus | Carina | southwest | 51° |
| Rigil Kentaurus | Centaurus | southeast | 33° |
| Rigel | Orion | west | 27° |
| Procyon | Canis Minor | northwest | 45° |
| Achernar | Eridanus | southwest | 14° |
| Betelgeuse | Orion | northwest | 26° |
| Hadar | Centaurus | southeast | 38° |
| Acrux | Crux | southeast | 48° |
| Spica | Virgo | east | 32° |
51 constellations are above the horizon. Highest in the sky: Pyxis, Antlia, Vela, Hydra, Puppis, Carina, Crater, Sextans, Canis Major, Volans, Corvus and Crux.
What happened that night
As he passed over Western Australia, Glenn radioed that he could see the lights very well, and asked the ground crew to thank everybody for turning them on.
A NASA tracking station at Muchea, north of Perth, followed the flight and talked with Glenn as he crossed the coast.
Why people remember it
The lights were a small, friendly act that people around the world heard about. In 1998, when Glenn flew in space again, on the Space Shuttle Discovery, Perth lit up for him a second time.
A star map of this night makes a gift for anyone from Perth, a space fan, or someone who remembers switching on the porch light.
Questions about this night
It shows 11:42 pm Western Australian time on February 20, 1962. That is when Glenn reported that he could see the lights, 54 minutes after launch.
Because its people turned on their lights for John Glenn during his orbit of the Earth in 1962, and he saw them from space.
He reported that he had the lights in sight on the ground. A few moments later he said they showed up very well, and asked the ground crew to thank everybody for turning them on.