Starry Memory

Which constellations can you see from Lincoln tonight?

Stars and constellations over Lincoln tonight: October–December 2026

Constellations seen from Lincoln on the 15th of each month (local evening time)
MonthHigh overheadRising in the eastSetting in the west
mid-October · 9:00 pmCygnus, Pegasus, Cepheus, Lyra and CassiopeiaPerseus, Aries and CetusSerpens, Boötes and Ophiuchus
mid-November · 9:00 pmAndromeda, Cassiopeia, Pegasus, Pisces, Cepheus, Aries and PerseusTaurus, Auriga and OrionAquila and Lyra
mid-December · 9:00 pmAndromeda, Perseus, Aries, Cassiopeia, Pisces and TaurusOrion, Gemini and Canis MinorAquarius and Cygnus

From Lincoln on mid-October evenings (around 9:00 pm), look straight up for Cygnus, Pegasus, Cepheus, Lyra and Cassiopeia. Rising in the east: Perseus, Aries and Cetus. Sinking in the west: Serpens, Boötes and Ophiuchus. Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Draco never set from Lincoln. Bright stars to start from: Vega, Altair and Fomalhaut. By mid-December, Orion, Gemini and Canis Minor join the evening sky.

Always above the horizon from Lincoln: 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 Lincoln

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

The table lists the constellations over Lincoln 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 Lincoln'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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln, latitude decides how high each familiar pattern can climb above an ideal horizon.

Latitude-screened constellations for Lincoln

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: 74.8°, all year *; Cassiopeia: 70.8°, all year *; Draco: 65.8°, all year *; Cepheus: 60.8°, all year *; Ursa Minor: 53.8°, all year *; Cygnus: 89.2°, summer; Auriga: 88.8°, winter; Andromeda: 87.2°, autumn; Perseus: 85.8°, winter; Lyra: 85.2°, summer; Boötes: 79.2°, spring; Gemini: 71.2°, winter; Taurus: 67.2°, winter; Leo: 64.2°, 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.

Lincoln's verifiable local record

80000 · longitude -96.66696 · north hemisphere · timezone America/Chicago · celestial-pole altitude 40.8°. Seasonal signature: longest night in December, 14 h 55 · shortest night in June, 9 h 05 · range 5.82 hours. Meridian star markers: Ursa Major 74.8° * · Cassiopeia 70.8° * · Draco 65.8° * · Cepheus 60.8° * · Ursa Minor 53.8° * · Cygnus 89.2°. Nearby catalogue cities: Omaha 79 km · Kansas City 260 km · Wichita 350 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.

Lincoln compared with nearby catalogue cities

1. Lincoln → Omaha: 79.3 km · Δlat +0.456° · Δlon +0.727° · Δpole +0.5° · timezone America/Chicago = America/Chicago · longest night December 14 h 58 | 2. Lincoln → Kansas City: 259.7 km · Δlat -1.700° · Δlon +2.088° · Δpole -1.7° · timezone America/Chicago = America/Chicago · longest night December 14 h 44 | 3. Lincoln → Wichita: 350.4 km · Δlat -3.108° · Δlon -0.671° · Δpole -3.1° · timezone America/Chicago = America/Chicago · longest night December 14 h 35. Monthly night comparison with the nearest catalogue reference — January: Lincoln 14 h 37 / Omaha 14 h 40 / Δ -0.04 h · February: Lincoln 13 h 34 / Omaha 13 h 35 / Δ -0.02 h · March: Lincoln 12 h 19 / Omaha 12 h 20 / Δ -0.01 h · April: Lincoln 10 h 54 / Omaha 10 h 53 / Δ +0.01 h · May: Lincoln 9 h 43 / Omaha 9 h 41 / Δ +0.03 h · June: Lincoln 9 h 05 / Omaha 9 h 02 / Δ +0.05 h · July: Lincoln 9 h 21 / Omaha 9 h 18 / Δ +0.05 h · August: Lincoln 10 h 22 / Omaha 10 h 20 / Δ +0.03 h · September: Lincoln 11 h 44 / Omaha 11 h 44 / Δ +0.00 h · October: Lincoln 13 h 07 / Omaha 13 h 08 / Δ -0.02 h · November: Lincoln 14 h 19 / Omaha 14 h 22 / Δ -0.04 h · December: Lincoln 14 h 55 / Omaha 14 h 58 / Δ -0.05 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 Lincoln

Lincoln is represented by 40.8000° N, 96.6670° W, in Nebraska, using the IANA zone America/Chicago. This is a mid-latitude viewpoint: the relevant celestial pole stands about 40.8° above its horizon. The source elevation is 367 metres; terrain can hide a low object even when the geometric calculation says it rises.

Twelve monthly light estimates for Lincoln

The following pairs are approximate daylight / night duration around the 15th of each month: January: 9 h 23 / 14 h 37; February: 10 h 26 / 13 h 34; March: 11 h 41 / 12 h 19; April: 13 h 06 / 10 h 54; May: 14 h 17 / 9 h 43; June: 14 h 55 / 9 h 05; July: 14 h 39 / 9 h 21; August: 13 h 38 / 10 h 22; September: 12 h 16 / 11 h 44; October: 10 h 53 / 13 h 07; November: 9 h 41 / 14 h 19; December: 9 h 05 / 14 h 55. The longest estimated night in this model is December at 14 h 55; the shortest is June at 9 h 05. “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 Lincoln?

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

Which constellations never set from Lincoln?

Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Draco stay above the horizon all night, all year, from Lincoln's latitude (40.8° N).

Can I see the Southern Cross from Lincoln?

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

When is the best time to look?

After full darkness (8:17 pm in mid-October, 6:43 pm in mid-November, 6:38 pm in mid-December) and away from the full Moon (October 25, 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 Lincoln, Cygnus and Pegasus are overhead in mid-October; by mid-December, Andromeda and Perseus have taken over and Orion is rising in the east. Latitude matters too: it decides which groups never rise and which never set.

See tonight's constellations over Lincoln

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