The night sky over Paris when Lindbergh landed

On the night of 21 May 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed the Spirit of St Louis at Le Bourget airfield outside Paris. He had flown alone and without a stop from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York.

The flight took about 33 and a half hours. It was the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic, and it won Lindbergh the Orteig Prize.

Sky chart of the night sky above Le Bourget, Paris, France at 10:22 pm on 21 May 1927
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The sky above Le Bourget, Paris, France on 21 May 1927

The sky was almost fully dark, with a trace of twilight left. There was a waning gibbous Moon, 75% lit, but it was below the horizon. Venus, Mars and Saturn were above the horizon and could be seen without a telescope.

The sky is almost fully dark, but a trace of twilight still hides the faintest stars.

Local time
10:22 pm
Time in UTC
21 May 1927 at 9:22 pm UTC
Sun
Astronomical twilight
Sun position
14° below the horizon
Moon phase
waning gibbous Moon
Moon lit
75%
Moon position
25° below the horizon

What happened that night

Word of his approach spread through Paris during the evening. A huge crowd drove and walked out to Le Bourget to wait for him.

When the plane touched down, people ran across the field towards it. Lindbergh was lifted out of the cockpit and carried on shoulders before officials could get him to safety.

Why people remember it

Lindbergh became famous overnight on both sides of the Atlantic. His flight showed that long-distance flying could be practical, and interest in aviation grew fast.

A star map of this night suits pilots, aviation fans and couples with a link to both France and the United States.

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