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 the San Francisco constellation table
A latitude-based guide with transit altitude, season and circumpolar status
Not every constellation rises from every latitude. This guide compares the representative declination of well-known constellations with the latitude of San Francisco. It shows which patterns can clear a practical horizon, how high they culminate and which northern or southern groups stay circumpolar.
From San Francisco, latitude decides how high each familiar pattern can climb above an ideal horizon. Its verifiable starting point is GeoNames 5391959, 37.7749° N, 122.4194° W, in timezone America/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: 71.8°, all year *; Cassiopeia: 67.8°, all year *; Draco: 62.8°, all year *; Cepheus: 57.8°, all year *; Ursa Minor: 50.8°, all year *; Andromeda: 89.8°, autumn; Lyra: 88.2°, summer; Cygnus: 87.8°, summer; Auriga: 85.8°, winter; Perseus: 82.8°, winter; Boötes: 82.2°, spring; Gemini: 74.2°, winter; Taurus: 70.2°, winter; Leo: 67.2°, 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.
Calculation identity: GeoNames 5391959 · city San Francisco · region California · country United States · national selection rank 17 · reference population 827,526 · source elevation 16 m. Spatial fingerprint: latitude 37.77493 · longitude -122.41942 · north hemisphere · timezone America/Los_Angeles · celestial-pole altitude 37.8°. Seasonal signature: longest night in December, 14 h 36 · shortest night in June, 9 h 24 · range 5.20 hours. Meridian star markers: Ursa Major 71.8° * · Cassiopeia 67.8° * · Draco 62.8° * · Cepheus 57.8° * · Ursa Minor 50.8° * · Andromeda 89.8°. Nearby catalogue cities: Oakland 13 km · San Jose 67 km · Stockton 101 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.
1. San Francisco → Oakland: 13.5 km · Δlat +0.029° · Δlon +0.149° · Δpole +0.0° · timezone America/Los_Angeles = America/Los_Angeles · longest night December 14 h 37 | 2. San Francisco → San Jose: 67.0 km · Δlat -0.436° · Δlon +0.524° · Δpole -0.5° · timezone America/Los_Angeles = America/Los_Angeles · longest night December 14 h 34 | 3. San Francisco → Stockton: 101.1 km · Δlat +0.183° · Δlon +1.129° · Δpole +0.2° · timezone America/Los_Angeles = America/Los_Angeles · longest night December 14 h 37. Monthly night comparison with the nearest catalogue reference — January: San Francisco 14 h 20 / Oakland 14 h 20 / Δ +0.00 h · February: San Francisco 13 h 25 / Oakland 13 h 25 / Δ +0.00 h · March: San Francisco 12 h 17 / Oakland 12 h 17 / Δ +0.00 h · April: San Francisco 11 h 01 / Oakland 11 h 01 / Δ +0.01 h · May: San Francisco 9 h 58 / Oakland 9 h 58 / Δ +0.00 h · June: San Francisco 9 h 24 / Oakland 9 h 24 / Δ +0.00 h · July: San Francisco 9 h 38 / Oakland 9 h 38 / Δ +0.00 h · August: San Francisco 10 h 32 / Oakland 10 h 32 / Δ +0.00 h · September: San Francisco 11 h 46 / Oakland 11 h 46 / Δ +0.00 h · October: San Francisco 13 h 00 / Oakland 13 h 00 / Δ +0.00 h · November: San Francisco 14 h 05 / Oakland 14 h 05 / Δ +0.00 h · December: San Francisco 14 h 36 / Oakland 14 h 37 / 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.
San Francisco is represented by 37.7749° N, 122.4194° W, in California, using the IANA zone America/Los_Angeles. This is a mid-latitude viewpoint: the relevant celestial pole stands about 37.8° above its horizon. GeoNames record 5391959 supplies the geographic reference; its population field is 827,526 and is used for catalogue selection, not presented as a live census. The source elevation is 16 metres; terrain can hide a low object even when the geometric calculation says it rises.
The following pairs are approximate daylight / night duration around the 15th of each month: January: 9 h 40 / 14 h 20; February: 10 h 35 / 13 h 25; March: 11 h 43 / 12 h 17; April: 12 h 59 / 11 h 01; May: 14 h 02 / 9 h 58; June: 14 h 36 / 9 h 24; July: 14 h 22 / 9 h 38; August: 13 h 28 / 10 h 32; September: 12 h 14 / 11 h 46; October: 11 h 00 / 13 h 00; November: 9 h 55 / 14 h 05; December: 9 h 24 / 14 h 36. The longest estimated night in this model is December at 14 h 36; the shortest is June at 9 h 24. “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.
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.
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).
It removes patterns that only graze an ideal horizon. 20 catalogue groups pass that screen here, but local hills and buildings can require a higher threshold.
Yes. Choose the intended autocomplete suggestion; its coordinates replace the city shortcut. Unselected free text is never silently sent to a default city.
Yes. The local calculation, tables and gyroscope exploration can be used without payment. Only the unlocked HD poster is paid.
No. The calculations describe geometry. Cloud, terrain, buildings and light pollution can change what a person sees from the ground.
No. The tool stands on its own. If wanted, the watermark-free 4960 × 7016 px, 300 DPI file costs €3.99. Checkout is in euros; the card issuer shows the current conversion to US dollars (USD).
See the San Francisco constellation table
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