Starry Memory

Which constellations can you see from Boston tonight?

Stars and constellations over Boston tonight: October–December 2026

Constellations seen from Boston on the 15th of each month (local evening time)
MonthHigh overheadRising in the eastSetting in the west
mid-October · 9:00 pmCygnus, Pegasus, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda and LyraPerseus, Aries, Cetus and AurigaSagittarius and Corona Borealis
mid-November · 9:00 pmAndromeda, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Aries, Pisces, Cepheus and PegasusOrion, Gemini and EridanusAquila, Lyra and Aquarius
mid-December · 9:00 pmPerseus, Aries, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Taurus and AurigaCanis Minor and Ursa MajorAquarius and Cygnus

From Boston on mid-October evenings (around 9:00 pm), look straight up for Cygnus, Pegasus, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda and Lyra. Rising in the east: Perseus, Aries, Cetus and Auriga. Sinking in the west: Sagittarius and Corona Borealis. Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Draco never set from Boston. Bright stars to start from: Vega, Capella and Altair. By mid-December, Canis Minor and Ursa Major join the evening sky.

Always above the horizon from Boston: Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Draco. Use the live chart below for tonight's exact view.

Use the free local tool

This page provides a result prefilled with the place and coordinates. The calculations and phone gyroscope work without an order; the HD poster remains optional. See tonight's constellations over Boston

Overhead, rising and never-setting constellations for October–December 2026, with a live chart for tonight

The table lists the constellations over Boston for each month of October–December 2026; the live chart then shows tonight's sky for the city or your exact location, with the Moon and planets. Both are free.

Why choose Starry Memory

  • Computed for the city's sky — The lists are calculated for Boston's latitude and local evening time, month by month, not copied from a generic seasonal chart.
  • Overhead, rising and setting — Knowing where a constellation stands helps you find it: overhead ones are the easiest, rising ones climb through the evening, setting ones are best early.
  • Never-setting groups — The circumpolar constellations of Boston are listed: they are there on any clear night of the year.
  • Live chart for tonight — The chart below recomputes the constellations, the Moon and the planets for tonight and for your exact location.

From Boston, latitude decides how high each familiar pattern can climb above an ideal horizon.

Latitude-screened constellations for Boston

Each entry below gives an approximate maximum altitude at meridian transit and a practical season; an asterisk means circumpolar in this simplified centroid model: Ursa Major: 76.4°, all year *; Cassiopeia: 72.4°, all year *; Draco: 67.4°, all year *; Cepheus: 62.4°, all year *; Ursa Minor: 55.4°, all year *; Auriga: 89.6°, winter; Cygnus: 87.6°, summer; Perseus: 87.4°, winter; Andromeda: 85.6°, autumn; Lyra: 83.6°, summer; Boötes: 77.6°, spring; Gemini: 69.6°, winter; Taurus: 65.6°, winter; Leo: 62.6°, spring. This is a planning guide, not a promise that every star will be visible from a bright street. Date, hour, local obstructions and light pollution still matter. The live sky tool performs the date-specific projection that a static latitude table cannot.

Boston's verifiable local record

35843 · longitude -71.05977 · north hemisphere · timezone America/New_York · celestial-pole altitude 42.4°. Seasonal signature: longest night in December, 15 h 05 · shortest night in June, 8 h 55 · range 6.17 hours. Meridian star markers: Ursa Major 76.4° * · Cassiopeia 72.4° * · Draco 67.4° * · Cepheus 62.4° * · Ursa Minor 55.4° * · Auriga 89.6°. Nearby catalogue cities: Cambridge 4 km · New Haven 194 km · New York 306 km. First regional eclipse shortlist: 2027-02-20 Penumbral lunar eclipse 23:14 UTC · 2027-08-17 Penumbral lunar eclipse 07:14 UTC · 2028-01-12 Partial lunar eclipse 04:14 UTC. Together these values form the local evidence record for the “constellations” page; they change with place and remain separate from real weather.

Boston compared with nearby catalogue cities

1. Boston → Cambridge: 4.2 km · Δlat +0.017° · Δlon -0.046° · Δpole +0.0° · timezone America/New_York = America/New_York · longest night December 15 h 05 | 2. Boston → New Haven: 193.9 km · Δlat -1.050° · Δlon -1.868° · Δpole -1.1° · timezone America/New_York = America/New_York · longest night December 14 h 58 | 3. Boston → New York: 305.8 km · Δlat -1.644° · Δlon -2.946° · Δpole -1.7° · timezone America/New_York = America/New_York · longest night December 14 h 54. Monthly night comparison with the nearest catalogue reference — January: Boston 14 h 46 / Cambridge 14 h 46 / Δ +0.00 h · February: Boston 13 h 40 / Cambridge 13 h 40 / Δ +0.00 h · March: Boston 12 h 20 / Cambridge 12 h 20 / Δ +0.00 h · April: Boston 10 h 50 / Cambridge 10 h 50 / Δ +0.00 h · May: Boston 9 h 35 / Cambridge 9 h 35 / Δ +0.00 h · June: Boston 8 h 55 / Cambridge 8 h 55 / Δ +0.01 h · July: Boston 9 h 11 / Cambridge 9 h 11 / Δ +0.00 h · August: Boston 10 h 17 / Cambridge 10 h 17 / Δ +0.00 h · September: Boston 11 h 44 / Cambridge 11 h 44 / Δ +0.00 h · October: Boston 13 h 11 / Cambridge 13 h 11 / Δ +0.00 h · November: Boston 14 h 28 / Cambridge 14 h 28 / Δ +0.00 h · December: Boston 15 h 05 / Cambridge 15 h 05 / Δ +0.00 h. For constellation screening, latitude difference becomes a meridian-altitude difference; a small change is reported as small rather than exaggerated for local copy.

The astronomical fingerprint of Boston

Boston is represented by 42.3584° N, 71.0598° W, in Massachusetts, using the IANA zone America/New_York. This is a mid-latitude viewpoint: the relevant celestial pole stands about 42.4° above its horizon. The source elevation is 14 metres; terrain can hide a low object even when the geometric calculation says it rises.

Twelve monthly light estimates for Boston

The following pairs are approximate daylight / night duration around the 15th of each month: January: 9 h 14 / 14 h 46; February: 10 h 20 / 13 h 40; March: 11 h 40 / 12 h 20; April: 13 h 10 / 10 h 50; May: 14 h 25 / 9 h 35; June: 15 h 05 / 8 h 55; July: 14 h 49 / 9 h 11; August: 13 h 43 / 10 h 17; September: 12 h 16 / 11 h 44; October: 10 h 49 / 13 h 11; November: 9 h 32 / 14 h 28; December: 8 h 55 / 15 h 05. The longest estimated night in this model is December at 15 h 05; the shortest is June at 8 h 55. “Night” here is the complement of daylight on a flat horizon. Civil, nautical and astronomical twilight are not interchangeable, and weather is not predicted by this table.

What the calculation does — and does not claim

Coordinates, date and local time feed the same astronomical workflow used by the poster. The HYG catalogue provides star entries, while Astronomy Engine calculates moving bodies. The page does not claim that city-centre coordinates equal a hospital, venue or home: selecting an autocomplete suggestion replaces the shortcut with that location. It also separates astronomical geometry from weather and light pollution, so a correct map never becomes a claim that the ground-level sky was cloudless.

Free gyroscope first, optional poster second

On a compatible phone, the gyroscope turns the calculated sky into a movable window: tilt and rotate to explore, with star names shown beside key points. That experience is free. If a date deserves a keepsake, the same place can continue into the editor. The protected preview remains watermarked before payment; the €3.99 purchase unlocks the 4960 × 7016 px, 300 DPI file. Physical formats appear only when availability, delivery supplement and timing can be checked for the destination. Checkout is in euros; the card issuer shows the current conversion to US dollars (USD).

Frequently asked questions

What constellations can I see tonight from Boston?

In mid-October around 9:00 pm: Cygnus, Pegasus, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda and Lyra overhead, Perseus, Aries, Cetus and Auriga rising in the east. In mid-November: Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Aries, Pisces, Cepheus and Pegasus overhead, Orion, Gemini and Eridanus rising.

Which constellations never set from Boston?

Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Draco stay above the horizon all night, all year, from Boston's latitude (42.4° N).

Can I see the Southern Cross from Boston?

No. From Boston, the Southern Cross never rises above the horizon.

When is the best time to look?

After full darkness (7:35 pm in mid-October, 5:59 pm in mid-November, 5:53 pm in mid-December) and away from the full Moon (October 26, November 24, December 23). The new Moons of October 10, November 9, December 8 give the darkest skies.

How do I find constellations from a city?

Start from the brightest stars, let your eyes adapt for 15 to 20 minutes, and look for the main outline rather than every star. Light pollution hides faint stars, so patterns such as Cassiopeia's W or Orion's belt are the easiest first targets.

Why does the sky change during the year?

The stars rise about four minutes earlier each night, so the evening sky shifts by about two hours a month as the Earth orbits the Sun. From Boston, Cygnus and Pegasus are overhead in mid-October; by mid-December, Perseus and Aries have taken over and Canis Minor is rising in the east. Latitude matters too: it decides which groups never rise and which never set.

See tonight's constellations over Boston

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