Starry Memory

Which constellations can you see from Virginia Beach tonight?

Stars and constellations over Virginia Beach tonight: October–December 2026

Constellations seen from Virginia Beach on the 15th of each month (local evening time)
MonthHigh overheadRising in the eastSetting in the west
mid-October · 9:00 pmCygnus, Pegasus, Cepheus, Lyra and CassiopeiaPerseus, Aries and CetusOphiuchus, Sagittarius and Corona Borealis
mid-November · 9:00 pmAndromeda, Cassiopeia, Pisces, Aries, Pegasus, Perseus and CepheusTaurus, Auriga, Orion and EridanusAquila, Piscis Austrinus and Lyra
mid-December · 9:00 pmPerseus, Aries, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Taurus, Pisces and AurigaGemini, Canis Minor and Ursa MajorAquarius and Cygnus

From Virginia Beach on mid-October evenings (around 9:00 pm), look straight up for Cygnus, Pegasus, Cepheus, Lyra and Cassiopeia. Rising in the east: Perseus, Aries and Cetus. Sinking in the west: Ophiuchus, Sagittarius and Corona Borealis. Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Draco never set from Virginia Beach. Bright stars to start from: Vega, Altair and Fomalhaut. By mid-December, Gemini, Canis Minor and Ursa Major join the evening sky.

Always above the horizon from Virginia Beach: Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, 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 Virginia Beach

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

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

Latitude-screened constellations for Virginia Beach

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: 70.9°, all year *; Cassiopeia: 66.9°, all year *; Draco: 61.9°, all year *; Cepheus: 56.9°, all year *; Ursa Minor: 49.9°, all year *; Lyra: 89.1°, summer; Andromeda: 88.9°, autumn; Cygnus: 86.9°, summer; Auriga: 84.9°, winter; Boötes: 83.1°, spring; Perseus: 81.9°, winter; Gemini: 75.1°, winter; Taurus: 71.1°, winter; Leo: 68.1°, 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.

Virginia Beach's verifiable local record

85293 · longitude -75.97799 · north hemisphere · timezone America/New_York · celestial-pole altitude 36.9°. Seasonal signature: longest night in December, 14 h 31 · shortest night in June, 9 h 29 · range 5.02 hours. Meridian star markers: Ursa Major 70.9° * · Cassiopeia 66.9° * · Draco 61.9° * · Cepheus 56.9° * · Ursa Minor 49.9° * · Lyra 89.1°. Nearby catalogue cities: Washington, DC 245 km · Raleigh 267 km · Baltimore 277 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.

Virginia Beach compared with nearby catalogue cities

1. Virginia Beach → Washington, DC: 245.3 km · Δlat +2.042° · Δlon -1.058° · Δpole +2.0° · timezone America/New_York = America/New_York · longest night December 14 h 43 | 2. Virginia Beach → Raleigh: 267.0 km · Δlat -1.081° · Δlon -2.661° · Δpole -1.1° · timezone America/New_York = America/New_York · longest night December 14 h 25 | 3. Virginia Beach → Baltimore: 276.7 km · Δlat +2.437° · Δlon -0.634° · Δpole +2.4° · timezone America/New_York = America/New_York · longest night December 14 h 45. Monthly night comparison with the nearest catalogue reference — January: Virginia Beach 14 h 16 / Washington, DC 14 h 26 / Δ -0.18 h · February: Virginia Beach 13 h 22 / Washington, DC 13 h 28 / Δ -0.10 h · March: Virginia Beach 12 h 17 / Washington, DC 12 h 18 / Δ -0.02 h · April: Virginia Beach 11 h 03 / Washington, DC 10 h 59 / Δ +0.07 h · May: Virginia Beach 10 h 02 / Washington, DC 9 h 53 / Δ +0.15 h · June: Virginia Beach 9 h 29 / Washington, DC 9 h 17 / Δ +0.20 h · July: Virginia Beach 9 h 43 / Washington, DC 9 h 32 / Δ +0.18 h · August: Virginia Beach 10 h 35 / Washington, DC 10 h 29 / Δ +0.11 h · September: Virginia Beach 11 h 47 / Washington, DC 11 h 46 / Δ +0.02 h · October: Virginia Beach 12 h 58 / Washington, DC 13 h 03 / Δ -0.08 h · November: Virginia Beach 14 h 01 / Washington, DC 14 h 10 / Δ -0.16 h · December: Virginia Beach 14 h 31 / Washington, DC 14 h 43 / Δ -0.20 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 Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach is represented by 36.8529° N, 75.9780° W, in Virginia, using the IANA zone America/New_York. This is a mid-latitude viewpoint: the relevant celestial pole stands about 36.9° above its horizon. The source elevation is 3 metres; terrain can hide a low object even when the geometric calculation says it rises.

Twelve monthly light estimates for Virginia Beach

The following pairs are approximate daylight / night duration around the 15th of each month: January: 9 h 44 / 14 h 16; February: 10 h 38 / 13 h 22; March: 11 h 43 / 12 h 17; April: 12 h 57 / 11 h 03; May: 13 h 58 / 10 h 02; June: 14 h 31 / 9 h 29; July: 14 h 17 / 9 h 43; August: 13 h 25 / 10 h 35; September: 12 h 13 / 11 h 47; October: 11 h 02 / 12 h 58; November: 9 h 59 / 14 h 01; December: 9 h 29 / 14 h 31. The longest estimated night in this model is December at 14 h 31; the shortest is June at 9 h 29. “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 Virginia Beach?

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

Which constellations never set from Virginia Beach?

Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Draco stay above the horizon all night, all year, from Virginia Beach's latitude (36.9° N).

Can I see the Southern Cross from Virginia Beach?

No. From Virginia Beach, the Southern Cross never rises above the horizon.

When is the best time to look?

After full darkness (7:53 pm in mid-October, 6:24 pm in mid-November, 6:21 pm in mid-December) and away from the full Moon (October 26, 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 Virginia Beach, Cygnus and Pegasus are overhead in mid-October; by mid-December, Perseus and Aries 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 Virginia Beach

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