Which constellations can you see from Los Angeles tonight?
Stars and constellations over Los Angeles tonight: October–December 2026
| Month | High overhead | Rising in the east | Setting in the west |
|---|---|---|---|
| mid-October · 9:00 pm | Cygnus, Pegasus, Cepheus, Andromeda and Lyra | Perseus, Aries and Cetus | Ophiuchus, Sagittarius and Corona Borealis |
| mid-November · 9:00 pm | Andromeda, Pisces, Cassiopeia, Aries, Perseus and Pegasus | Auriga, Orion, Eridanus and Gemini | Aquila, Piscis Austrinus and Lyra |
| mid-December · 9:00 pm | Aries, Perseus, Andromeda, Taurus, Cassiopeia, Pisces and Auriga | Gemini, Canis Minor, Ursa Major and Canis Major | Aquarius and Cygnus |
From Los Angeles on mid-October evenings (around 9:00 pm), look straight up for Cygnus, Pegasus, Cepheus, Andromeda and Lyra. Rising in the east: Perseus, Aries and Cetus. Sinking in the west: Ophiuchus, Sagittarius and Corona Borealis. Ursa Minor, Cepheus and Draco never set from Los Angeles. Bright stars to start from: Vega, Altair and Fomalhaut. By mid-December, Gemini, Canis Minor, Ursa Major and Canis Major join the evening sky.
Always above the horizon from Los Angeles: Ursa Minor, Cepheus and Draco. Use the live chart below for tonight's exact view.
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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 Los Angeles
Overhead, rising and never-setting constellations for October–December 2026, with a live chart for tonight
The table lists the constellations over Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles'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 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles, latitude decides how high each familiar pattern can climb above an ideal horizon.
Latitude-screened constellations for Los Angeles
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: 68.1°, all year *; Cassiopeia: 64.1°, all year *; Draco: 59.1°, all year *; Cepheus: 54.1°, all year *; Ursa Minor: 47.1°, all year *; Lyra: 88.1°, summer; Andromeda: 86.1°, autumn; Boötes: 85.9°, spring; Cygnus: 84.1°, summer; Auriga: 82.1°, winter; Perseus: 79.1°, winter; Gemini: 77.9°, winter; Taurus: 73.9°, winter; Leo: 70.9°, 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.
Los Angeles's verifiable local record
05223 · longitude -118.24368 · north hemisphere · timezone America/Los_Angeles · celestial-pole altitude 34.1°. Seasonal signature: longest night in December, 14 h 16 · shortest night in June, 9 h 44 · range 4.52 hours. Meridian star markers: Ursa Major 68.1° * · Cassiopeia 64.1° * · Draco 59.1° * · Cepheus 54.1° * · Ursa Minor 47.1° * · Lyra 88.1°. Nearby catalogue cities: Long Beach 32 km · Anaheim 39 km · Santa Ana 49 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.
Los Angeles compared with nearby catalogue cities
1. Los Angeles → Long Beach: 32.1 km · Δlat -0.285° · Δlon +0.054° · Δpole -0.3° · timezone America/Los_Angeles = America/Los_Angeles · longest night December 14 h 14 | 2. Los Angeles → Anaheim: 38.8 km · Δlat -0.217° · Δlon +0.329° · Δpole -0.3° · timezone America/Los_Angeles = America/Los_Angeles · longest night December 14 h 14 | 3. Los Angeles → Santa Ana: 48.6 km · Δlat -0.307° · Δlon +0.376° · Δpole -0.4° · timezone America/Los_Angeles = America/Los_Angeles · longest night December 14 h 14. Monthly night comparison with the nearest catalogue reference — January: Los Angeles 14 h 02 / Long Beach 14 h 01 / Δ +0.02 h · February: Los Angeles 13 h 13 / Long Beach 13 h 13 / Δ +0.01 h · March: Los Angeles 12 h 15 / Long Beach 12 h 15 / Δ +0.00 h · April: Los Angeles 11 h 08 / Long Beach 11 h 09 / Δ -0.01 h · May: Los Angeles 10 h 14 / Long Beach 10 h 15 / Δ -0.02 h · June: Los Angeles 9 h 44 / Long Beach 9 h 46 / Δ -0.03 h · July: Los Angeles 9 h 56 / Long Beach 9 h 58 / Δ -0.02 h · August: Los Angeles 10 h 44 / Long Beach 10 h 44 / Δ -0.01 h · September: Los Angeles 11 h 48 / Long Beach 11 h 48 / Δ +0.00 h · October: Los Angeles 12 h 52 / Long Beach 12 h 52 / Δ +0.00 h · November: Los Angeles 13 h 49 / Long Beach 13 h 47 / Δ +0.02 h · December: Los Angeles 14 h 16 / Long Beach 14 h 14 / Δ +0.03 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 Los Angeles
Los Angeles is represented by 34.0522° N, 118.2437° W, in California, using the IANA zone America/Los_Angeles. This is a mid-latitude viewpoint: the relevant celestial pole stands about 34.1° above its horizon. The source elevation is 89 metres; terrain can hide a low object even when the geometric calculation says it rises.
Twelve monthly light estimates for Los Angeles
The following pairs are approximate daylight / night duration around the 15th of each month: January: 9 h 58 / 14 h 02; February: 10 h 47 / 13 h 13; March: 11 h 45 / 12 h 15; April: 12 h 52 / 11 h 08; May: 13 h 46 / 10 h 14; June: 14 h 16 / 9 h 44; July: 14 h 04 / 9 h 56; August: 13 h 16 / 10 h 44; September: 12 h 12 / 11 h 48; October: 11 h 08 / 12 h 52; November: 10 h 11 / 13 h 49; December: 9 h 44 / 14 h 16. The longest estimated night in this model is December at 14 h 16; the shortest is June at 9 h 44. “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 Los Angeles?
In mid-October around 9:00 pm: Cygnus, Pegasus, Cepheus, Andromeda and Lyra overhead, Perseus, Aries and Cetus rising in the east. In mid-November: Andromeda, Pisces, Cassiopeia, Aries, Perseus and Pegasus overhead, Auriga, Orion, Eridanus and Gemini rising.
Which constellations never set from Los Angeles?
Ursa Minor, Cepheus and Draco stay above the horizon all night, all year, from Los Angeles's latitude (34.1° N).
Can I see the Southern Cross from Los Angeles?
No. From Los Angeles, the Southern Cross never rises above the horizon.
When is the best time to look?
After full darkness (7:41 pm in mid-October, 6:15 pm in mid-November, 6:14 pm in mid-December) and away from the full Moon (October 25, November 24, December 23). The new Moons of October 10, November 8, 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 Los Angeles, Cygnus and Pegasus are overhead in mid-October; by mid-December, Aries and Perseus have taken over and Gemini is rising in the east. Latitude matters too: it decides which groups never rise and which never set.
See tonight's constellations over Los Angeles
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See also
- A personalised star map gift for Los Angeles
- What's in the night sky tonight over Los Angeles?
- Night length and darkness calendar for Los Angeles
- Eclipse calendar for Los Angeles
- Which constellations can you see from Santa Ana tonight?
- Personalised star map gifts across United States
- Local astronomy calendars for 407 cities
- What's in the night sky tonight, from where you are?