Starry Memory

Which constellations can you see from Santa Ana tonight?

Stars and constellations over Santa Ana tonight: October–December 2026

Constellations seen from Santa Ana on the 15th of each month (local evening time)
MonthHigh overheadRising in the eastSetting in the west
mid-October · 9:00 pmCygnus, Pegasus, Cepheus, Andromeda and LyraAries, Perseus and CetusOphiuchus, Sagittarius and Corona Borealis
mid-November · 9:00 pmAndromeda, Pisces, Cassiopeia, Aries, Perseus and PegasusAuriga, Orion, Eridanus and GeminiAquila, Piscis Austrinus and Lyra
mid-December · 9:00 pmAries, Perseus, Andromeda, Taurus, Cassiopeia, Pisces and AurigaGemini, Canis Minor, Ursa Major and Canis MajorAquarius and Cygnus

From Santa Ana on mid-October evenings (around 9:00 pm), look straight up for Cygnus, Pegasus, Cepheus, Andromeda and Lyra. Rising in the east: Aries, Perseus and Cetus. Sinking in the west: Ophiuchus, Sagittarius and Corona Borealis. Ursa Minor, Cepheus and Draco never set from Santa Ana. 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 Santa Ana: Ursa Minor, 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 Santa Ana

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

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

Latitude-screened constellations for Santa Ana

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: 63.7°, all year *; Draco: 58.7°, all year *; Cepheus: 53.7°, all year *; Ursa Minor: 46.7°, all year *; Lyra: 87.7°, summer; Boötes: 86.3°, spring; Andromeda: 85.7°, autumn; Cygnus: 83.7°, summer; Auriga: 81.7°, winter; Perseus: 78.7°, winter; Gemini: 78.3°, winter; Taurus: 74.3°, winter; Leo: 71.3°, spring; Ursa Major: 67.7°, 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.

Santa Ana's verifiable local record

74557 · longitude -117.86783 · north hemisphere · timezone America/Los_Angeles · celestial-pole altitude 33.7°. Seasonal signature: longest night in December, 14 h 14 · shortest night in June, 9 h 46 · range 4.46 hours. Meridian star markers: Cassiopeia 63.7° * · Draco 58.7° * · Cepheus 53.7° * · Ursa Minor 46.7° * · Lyra 87.7° · Boötes 86.3°. Nearby catalogue cities: Anaheim 11 km · Long Beach 30 km · Los Angeles 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.

Santa Ana compared with nearby catalogue cities

1. Santa Ana → Anaheim: 10.9 km · Δlat +0.090° · Δlon -0.047° · Δpole +0.1° · timezone America/Los_Angeles = America/Los_Angeles · longest night December 14 h 14 | 2. Santa Ana → Long Beach: 29.8 km · Δlat +0.021° · Δlon -0.321° · Δpole +0.1° · timezone America/Los_Angeles = America/Los_Angeles · longest night December 14 h 14 | 3. Santa Ana → Los Angeles: 48.6 km · Δlat +0.307° · Δlon -0.376° · Δpole +0.4° · timezone America/Los_Angeles = America/Los_Angeles · longest night December 14 h 16. Monthly night comparison with the nearest catalogue reference — January: Santa Ana 14 h 01 / Anaheim 14 h 01 / Δ -0.01 h · February: Santa Ana 13 h 13 / Anaheim 13 h 13 / Δ +0.00 h · March: Santa Ana 12 h 15 / Anaheim 12 h 15 / Δ +0.00 h · April: Santa Ana 11 h 09 / Anaheim 11 h 09 / Δ +0.00 h · May: Santa Ana 10 h 15 / Anaheim 10 h 14 / Δ +0.01 h · June: Santa Ana 9 h 46 / Anaheim 9 h 46 / Δ +0.01 h · July: Santa Ana 9 h 58 / Anaheim 9 h 58 / Δ +0.00 h · August: Santa Ana 10 h 44 / Anaheim 10 h 44 / Δ +0.00 h · September: Santa Ana 11 h 48 / Anaheim 11 h 48 / Δ +0.00 h · October: Santa Ana 12 h 52 / Anaheim 12 h 52 / Δ -0.01 h · November: Santa Ana 13 h 47 / Anaheim 13 h 47 / Δ +0.00 h · December: Santa Ana 14 h 14 / Anaheim 14 h 14 / 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 Santa Ana

Santa Ana is represented by 33.7456° N, 117.8678° W, in California, using the IANA zone America/Los_Angeles. This is a mid-latitude viewpoint: the relevant celestial pole stands about 33.7° above its horizon. The source elevation is 35 metres; terrain can hide a low object even when the geometric calculation says it rises.

Twelve monthly light estimates for Santa Ana

The following pairs are approximate daylight / night duration around the 15th of each month: January: 9 h 59 / 14 h 01; February: 10 h 47 / 13 h 13; March: 11 h 45 / 12 h 15; April: 12 h 51 / 11 h 09; May: 13 h 45 / 10 h 15; June: 14 h 14 / 9 h 46; July: 14 h 02 / 9 h 58; August: 13 h 16 / 10 h 44; September: 12 h 12 / 11 h 48; October: 11 h 08 / 12 h 52; November: 10 h 13 / 13 h 47; December: 9 h 46 / 14 h 14. The longest estimated night in this model is December at 14 h 14; the shortest is June at 9 h 46. “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 Santa Ana?

In mid-October around 9:00 pm: Cygnus, Pegasus, Cepheus, Andromeda and Lyra overhead, Aries, Perseus 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 Santa Ana?

Ursa Minor, Cepheus and Draco stay above the horizon all night, all year, from Santa Ana's latitude (33.7° N).

Can I see the Southern Cross from Santa Ana?

No. From Santa Ana, the Southern Cross never rises above the horizon.

When is the best time to look?

After full darkness (7:40 pm in mid-October, 6:14 pm in mid-November, 6:13 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 Santa Ana, 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 Santa Ana

Certificate specimen: the example star “Your star” (HIP 4151, Cassiopeia) and its QR code

✦ 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.

  1. Choose a real star and its name
  2. Scan the certificate’s QR code, no app needed
  3. Find it in the sky with your smartphone
Choose my starTry the demo

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

← Back to Starry Memory