The night sky over Paris when Lindbergh landed

On the night of May 21, 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 nonstop flight across the Atlantic, and it won Lindbergh the $25,000 Orteig Prize.

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