Starry Memory

Which constellations can you see from Nijmegen tonight?

Stars and constellations over Nijmegen tonight: October–December 2026

Constellations seen from Nijmegen on the 15th of each month (local evening time)
MonthHigh overheadRising in the eastSetting in the west
mid-October · 9:00 pmCygnus, Cepheus, Lyra, Cassiopeia, Draco, Pegasus and Ursa MinorPisces, Perseus, Aries and AurigaSerpens, Ophiuchus and Boötes
mid-November · 9:00 pmCassiopeia, Andromeda, Cepheus, Perseus, Pegasus and CygnusAuriga, Taurus and GeminiCorona Borealis, Hercules and Aquila
mid-December · 9:00 pmCassiopeia, Perseus, Andromeda, Aries and CepheusGemini, Orion and Canis MinorAquarius and Lyra

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

Always above the horizon from Nijmegen: Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Perseus, 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 Nijmegen

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

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

Latitude-screened constellations for Nijmegen

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: 85.8°, all year *; Perseus: 83.2°, all year *; Cassiopeia: 81.8°, all year *; Auriga: 80.2°, all year *; Cygnus: 78.2°, all year *; Draco: 76.8°, all year *; Cepheus: 71.8°, all year *; Ursa Minor: 64.8°, all year *; Andromeda: 76.2°, autumn; Lyra: 74.2°, summer; Boötes: 68.2°, spring; Gemini: 60.2°, winter; Taurus: 56.2°, winter; Leo: 53.2°, 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.

Nijmegen's verifiable local record

84250 · longitude 5.85278 · north hemisphere · timezone Europe/Amsterdam · celestial-pole altitude 51.8°. Seasonal signature: longest night in December, 16 h 26 · shortest night in June, 7 h 34 · range 8.87 hours. Meridian star markers: Ursa Major 85.8° * · Perseus 83.2° * · Cassiopeia 81.8° * · Auriga 80.2° * · Cygnus 78.2° * · Draco 76.8° *. Nearby catalogue cities: Arnhem 16 km · 's-Hertogenbosch 41 km · Eindhoven 52 km. First regional eclipse shortlist: 2027-02-20 Penumbral lunar eclipse 23:14 UTC · 2027-08-02 Total solar eclipse 10:07 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.

Nijmegen compared with nearby catalogue cities

1. Nijmegen → Arnhem: 15.8 km · Δlat +0.137° · Δlon +0.058° · Δpole +0.2° · timezone Europe/Amsterdam = Europe/Amsterdam · longest night December 16 h 28 | 2. Nijmegen → 's-Hertogenbosch: 41.0 km · Δlat -0.143° · Δlon -0.549° · Δpole -0.1° · timezone Europe/Amsterdam = Europe/Amsterdam · longest night December 16 h 25 | 3. Nijmegen → Eindhoven: 51.6 km · Δlat -0.402° · Δlon -0.375° · Δpole -0.4° · timezone Europe/Amsterdam = Europe/Amsterdam · longest night December 16 h 22. Monthly night comparison with the nearest catalogue reference — January: Nijmegen 15 h 58 / Arnhem 15 h 59 / Δ -0.02 h · February: Nijmegen 14 h 20 / Arnhem 14 h 20 / Δ -0.01 h · March: Nijmegen 12 h 29 / Arnhem 12 h 29 / Δ +0.00 h · April: Nijmegen 10 h 23 / Arnhem 10 h 22 / Δ +0.01 h · May: Nijmegen 8 h 35 / Arnhem 8 h 34 / Δ +0.02 h · June: Nijmegen 7 h 34 / Arnhem 7 h 32 / Δ +0.03 h · July: Nijmegen 7 h 59 / Arnhem 7 h 58 / Δ +0.03 h · August: Nijmegen 9 h 35 / Arnhem 9 h 34 / Δ +0.02 h · September: Nijmegen 11 h 37 / Arnhem 11 h 37 / Δ +0.00 h · October: Nijmegen 13 h 40 / Arnhem 13 h 40 / Δ +0.00 h · November: Nijmegen 15 h 30 / Arnhem 15 h 31 / Δ -0.01 h · December: Nijmegen 16 h 26 / Arnhem 16 h 28 / Δ -0.02 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 Nijmegen

Nijmegen is represented by 51.8425° N, 5.8528° E, in Gelderland, using the IANA zone Europe/Amsterdam. This is a high-latitude viewpoint: the relevant celestial pole stands about 51.8° above its horizon. No source elevation is used, so a flat horizon remains the transparent default.

Twelve monthly light estimates for Nijmegen

The following pairs are approximate daylight / night duration around the 15th of each month: January: 8 h 02 / 15 h 58; February: 9 h 40 / 14 h 20; March: 11 h 31 / 12 h 29; April: 13 h 37 / 10 h 23; May: 15 h 25 / 8 h 35; June: 16 h 26 / 7 h 34; July: 16 h 01 / 7 h 59; August: 14 h 25 / 9 h 35; September: 12 h 23 / 11 h 37; October: 10 h 20 / 13 h 40; November: 8 h 30 / 15 h 30; December: 7 h 34 / 16 h 26. The longest estimated night in this model is December at 16 h 26; the shortest is June at 7 h 34. “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. The HD file is charged once at €3.99.

Frequently asked questions

What constellations can I see tonight from Nijmegen?

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

Which constellations never set from Nijmegen?

Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Cepheus and Draco stay above the horizon all night, all year, from Nijmegen's latitude (51.8° N).

Can I see the Southern Cross from Nijmegen?

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

When is the best time to look?

After full darkness (8:34 pm in mid-October, 6:43 pm in mid-November, 6:31 pm in mid-December) and away from the full Moon (October 26, November 24, December 24). The new Moons of October 10, November 9, December 9 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 Nijmegen, Cygnus and Cepheus are overhead in mid-October; by mid-December, Perseus and Andromeda 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 Nijmegen

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