Which constellations can you see from Phoenix tonight?
Stars and constellations over Phoenix tonight: October–December 2026
| Month | High overhead | Rising in the east | Setting in the west |
|---|---|---|---|
| mid-October · 9:00 pm | Pegasus, Cygnus, Andromeda, Cepheus, Cassiopeia and Pisces | Aries, Perseus and Cetus | Sagittarius, Corona Borealis and Hercules |
| mid-November · 9:00 pm | Andromeda, Pisces, Pegasus, Cassiopeia, Aries and Perseus | Taurus, Auriga, Eridanus and Orion | Aquila and Lyra |
| mid-December · 9:00 pm | Aries, Andromeda, Perseus, Cassiopeia, Pisces and Taurus | Orion, Gemini and Canis Minor | Aquarius and Cygnus |
From Phoenix on mid-October evenings (around 9:00 pm), look straight up for Pegasus, Cygnus, Andromeda, Cepheus, Cassiopeia and Pisces. Rising in the east: Aries, Perseus and Cetus. Sinking in the west: Sagittarius, Corona Borealis and Hercules. Ursa Minor, Cepheus and Draco never set from Phoenix. 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 Phoenix: Ursa Minor, Cepheus and Draco. Use the live chart below for tonight's exact view.
- Make tonight's sky a gift. Preview the free star map of a night in Phoenix
- Or name a star in Pegasus, high over Phoenix on October evenings: a symbolic dedication with a PDF certificate. Choose a star in Pegasus
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 Phoenix
Overhead, rising and never-setting constellations for October–December 2026, with a live chart for tonight
The table lists the constellations over Phoenix 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 Phoenix'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 Phoenix 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 Phoenix, latitude decides how high each familiar pattern can climb above an ideal horizon.
Latitude-screened constellations for Phoenix
Each entry below gives an approximate maximum altitude at meridian transit and a practical season; an asterisk means circumpolar in this simplified centroid model: Cassiopeia: 63.4°, all year *; Draco: 58.4°, all year *; Cepheus: 53.4°, all year *; Ursa Minor: 46.4°, all year *; Lyra: 87.4°, summer; Boötes: 86.6°, spring; Andromeda: 85.4°, autumn; Cygnus: 83.4°, summer; Auriga: 81.4°, winter; Gemini: 78.6°, winter; Perseus: 78.4°, winter; Taurus: 74.6°, winter; Leo: 71.6°, spring; Ursa Major: 67.4°, 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.
Phoenix's verifiable local record
44838 · longitude -112.07404 · north hemisphere · timezone America/Phoenix · celestial-pole altitude 33.4°. Seasonal signature: longest night in December, 14 h 13 · shortest night in June, 9 h 48 · range 4.41 hours. Meridian star markers: Cassiopeia 63.4° * · Draco 58.4° * · Cepheus 53.4° * · Ursa Minor 46.4° * · Lyra 87.4° · Boötes 86.6°. Nearby catalogue cities: Mesa 24 km · Tucson 173 km · Henderson 392 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.
Phoenix compared with nearby catalogue cities
1. Phoenix → Mesa: 23.5 km · Δlat -0.026° · Δlon +0.251° · Δpole +0.0° · timezone America/Phoenix = America/Phoenix · longest night December 14 h 12 | 2. Phoenix → Tucson: 173.5 km · Δlat -1.227° · Δlon +1.148° · Δpole -1.2° · timezone America/Phoenix = America/Phoenix · longest night December 14 h 06 | 3. Phoenix → Henderson: 391.9 km · Δlat +2.591° · Δlon -2.908° · Δpole +2.6° · timezone America/Phoenix ≠ America/Los_Angeles · longest night December 14 h 26. Monthly night comparison with the nearest catalogue reference — January: Phoenix 13 h 59 / Mesa 13 h 59 / Δ +0.01 h · February: Phoenix 13 h 12 / Mesa 13 h 12 / Δ +0.00 h · March: Phoenix 12 h 15 / Mesa 12 h 15 / Δ +0.00 h · April: Phoenix 11 h 10 / Mesa 11 h 10 / Δ +0.00 h · May: Phoenix 10 h 16 / Mesa 10 h 16 / Δ +0.00 h · June: Phoenix 9 h 48 / Mesa 9 h 48 / Δ +0.00 h · July: Phoenix 9 h 59 / Mesa 9 h 59 / Δ +0.00 h · August: Phoenix 10 h 46 / Mesa 10 h 46 / Δ +0.00 h · September: Phoenix 11 h 48 / Mesa 11 h 48 / Δ +0.00 h · October: Phoenix 12 h 51 / Mesa 12 h 51 / Δ +0.00 h · November: Phoenix 13 h 46 / Mesa 13 h 46 / Δ +0.00 h · December: Phoenix 14 h 13 / Mesa 14 h 12 / Δ +0.01 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 Phoenix
Phoenix is represented by 33.4484° N, 112.0740° W, in Arizona, using the IANA zone America/Phoenix. This is a mid-latitude viewpoint: the relevant celestial pole stands about 33.4° above its horizon. The source elevation is 331 metres; terrain can hide a low object even when the geometric calculation says it rises.
Twelve monthly light estimates for Phoenix
The following pairs are approximate daylight / night duration around the 15th of each month: January: 10 h 01 / 13 h 59; February: 10 h 48 / 13 h 12; March: 11 h 45 / 12 h 15; April: 12 h 50 / 11 h 10; May: 13 h 44 / 10 h 16; June: 14 h 12 / 9 h 48; July: 14 h 01 / 9 h 59; August: 13 h 14 / 10 h 46; September: 12 h 12 / 11 h 48; October: 11 h 09 / 12 h 51; November: 10 h 14 / 13 h 46; December: 9 h 47 / 14 h 13. The longest estimated night in this model is December at 14 h 13; the shortest is June at 9 h 48. “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 Phoenix?
In mid-October around 9:00 pm: Pegasus, Cygnus, Andromeda, Cepheus, Cassiopeia and Pisces overhead, Aries, Perseus and Cetus rising in the east. In mid-November: Andromeda, Pisces, Pegasus, Cassiopeia, Aries and Perseus overhead, Taurus, Auriga, Eridanus and Orion rising.
Which constellations never set from Phoenix?
Ursa Minor, Cepheus and Draco stay above the horizon all night, all year, from Phoenix's latitude (33.4° N).
Can I see the Southern Cross from Phoenix?
No. From Phoenix, the Southern Cross never rises above the horizon.
When is the best time to look?
After full darkness (7:17 pm in mid-October, 6:51 pm in mid-November, 6:50 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 Phoenix, Pegasus and Cygnus are overhead in mid-October; by mid-December, Aries 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 Phoenix

✦ Personalised star certificate
Look up: give a star you can find in the sky
A personalised certificate with a QR code: one smartphone scan shows the star in 3D, then its direction in the real sky.
- Choose a real star and its name
- Scan the certificate’s QR code, no app needed
- Find it in the sky with your smartphone
From €8.91 · PDF to download as soon as you pay
Symbolic dedication in the private Starry Memory registry. Depending on its brightness and the weather, you’ll see it with the naked eye, with binoculars, or find its direction.
Name a star: the certificate in detail
Rather the sky of a date and place? Create a star map · HD file €3.99
See also
- A personalised star map gift for Phoenix
- What's in the night sky tonight over Phoenix?
- Night length and darkness calendar for Phoenix
- Eclipse calendar for Phoenix
- Which constellations can you see from Tucson 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?