The night sky on the night of Yuri Gagarin's flight into space — 12 April 1961
On the morning of 12 April 1961 Yuri Gagarin lifted off from Baikonur aboard Vostok 1 and became the first human in space. He made a single orbit of the Earth in 108 minutes and landed by parachute near Engels, in the Saratov region. That night the whole world knew his name.
The sky over Baikonur launch site, Kazakhstan
This is the real sky above Baikonur launch site, Kazakhstan (45.92°N, 63.34°E) on 12 April 1961 at 22:00 Moscow time (UTC+3) that night (1961-04-12 19:00 UTC). The Sun was 34° below the horizon: it was full night. The Moon (waning crescent, 8% lit) was below the horizon. Planets above the horizon: Mars (25° in the west). Brightest named stars up: Arcturus, Vega, Capella, Procyon and Spica.
Make the sky of YOUR date
Every night has its own sky. Pick your city and your date — the night you met, a birth, a wedding — and see the real stars above it, free.
Want this night on your wall? Make a print-ready A3 star-chart poster of 12 April 1961 — 4.99.
All 75 historic night skies · The night sky on your birthday