Starry Memory

A personalised star map gift for Swansea

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. Explore the Swansea sky free

The exact sky of a meaningful Swansea moment, calculated before you buy

A place is not a decorative caption on a star map. For a memory in Swansea, the selected coordinates, local time and timezone determine the celestial orientation. This guide starts with a free, location-aware sky and phone gyroscope; the watermark-free HD poster is an optional keepsake after you have checked the result.

Why choose Starry Memory

  • A place-driven gift — Swansea starts at 51.6208° N, 3.9432° W; choosing a venue or address replaces that centre point before the poster is calculated.
  • GPS · IANA reference — Exact reference: Wales, 51.6208° N, 3.9432° W, Europe/London.
  • Free tool — The city-specific tool works free in the browser and does not create an order.
  • Transparent limits — Weather, light pollution and local obstructions are stated as limits instead of being hidden.

In Swansea, the keepsake begins with a real point on Earth before it becomes an image of the sky. Its verifiable starting point is GeoNames 2636432, 51.6208° N, 3.9432° W, in timezone Europe/London.

The astronomical fingerprint of Swansea

Swansea is represented by 51.6208° N, 3.9432° W, in Wales, using the IANA zone Europe/London. This is a high-latitude viewpoint: the relevant celestial pole stands about 51.6° above its horizon. GeoNames record 2636432 supplies the geographic reference; its population field is 300,352 and is used for catalogue selection, not presented as a live census. No source elevation is used, so a flat horizon remains the transparent default. The following pairs are approximate daylight / night duration around the 15th of each month: January: 8 h 05 / 15 h 55; February: 9 h 41 / 14 h 19; March: 11 h 31 / 12 h 29; April: 13 h 37 / 10 h 23; May: 15 h 23 / 8 h 37; June: 16 h 23 / 7 h 37; July: 15 h 59 / 8 h 01; August: 14 h 24 / 9 h 36; September: 12 h 22 / 11 h 38; October: 10 h 22 / 13 h 38; November: 8 h 32 / 15 h 28; December: 7 h 36 / 16 h 24. The longest estimated night in this model is December at 16 h 24; the shortest is June at 7 h 37. “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.

Swansea's verifiable local record

Calculation identity: GeoNames 2636432 · city Swansea · region Wales · country United Kingdom · national selection rank 20 · reference population 300,352 · source elevation —. Spatial fingerprint: latitude 51.62079 · longitude -3.94323 · north hemisphere · timezone Europe/London · celestial-pole altitude 51.6°. Seasonal signature: longest night in December, 16 h 24 · shortest night in June, 7 h 37 · range 8.79 hours. Meridian star markers: Ursa Major 85.6° * · Perseus 83.4° * · Cassiopeia 81.6° * · Auriga 80.4° * · Cygnus 78.4° * · Draco 76.6° *. Nearby catalogue cities: Cardiff 55 km · Bristol 95 km · Birmingham 169 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 “gift” page; they change with place and remain separate from real weather.

Swansea compared with nearby catalogue cities

1. Swansea → Cardiff: 55.0 km · Δlat -0.141° · Δlon +0.763° · Δpole -0.1° · timezone Europe/London = Europe/London · longest night December 16 h 22 | 2. Swansea → Bristol: 94.9 km · Δlat -0.166° · Δlon +1.347° · Δpole -0.1° · timezone Europe/London = Europe/London · longest night December 16 h 22 | 3. Swansea → Birmingham: 169.3 km · Δlat +0.861° · Δlon +2.043° · Δpole +0.9° · timezone Europe/London = Europe/London · longest night December 16 h 34. Monthly night comparison with the nearest catalogue reference — January: Swansea 15 h 55 / Cardiff 15 h 54 / Δ +0.02 h · February: Swansea 14 h 19 / Cardiff 14 h 18 / Δ +0.01 h · March: Swansea 12 h 29 / Cardiff 12 h 28 / Δ +0.01 h · April: Swansea 10 h 23 / Cardiff 10 h 24 / Δ -0.01 h · May: Swansea 8 h 37 / Cardiff 8 h 38 / Δ -0.02 h · June: Swansea 7 h 37 / Cardiff 7 h 38 / Δ -0.02 h · July: Swansea 8 h 01 / Cardiff 8 h 02 / Δ -0.02 h · August: Swansea 9 h 36 / Cardiff 9 h 37 / Δ -0.01 h · September: Swansea 11 h 38 / Cardiff 11 h 38 / Δ +0.00 h · October: Swansea 13 h 38 / Cardiff 13 h 38 / Δ +0.01 h · November: Swansea 15 h 28 / Cardiff 15 h 27 / Δ +0.02 h · December: Swansea 16 h 24 / Cardiff 16 h 22 / Δ +0.03 h. For a gift, the comparison explains why the confirmed place matters: a Swansea memory should not silently become its neighbour even when both share a timezone.

Latitude-screened constellations for Swansea

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: 85.6°, all year *; Perseus: 83.4°, all year *; Cassiopeia: 81.6°, all year *; Auriga: 80.4°, all year *; Cygnus: 78.4°, all year *; Draco: 76.6°, all year *; Cepheus: 71.6°, all year *; Ursa Minor: 64.6°, all year *; Andromeda: 76.4°, autumn; Lyra: 74.4°, summer; Boötes: 68.4°, spring; Gemini: 60.4°, winter; Taurus: 56.4°, winter; Leo: 53.4°, 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.

Eclipse dates connected to the wider United Kingdom region

20 February 2027: Penumbral lunar eclipse, 23:14 UTC; 2 August 2027: Total solar eclipse, 10:07 UTC; 12 January 2028: Partial lunar eclipse, 04:14 UTC; 26 January 2028: Annular solar eclipse, 15:08 UTC; 6 July 2028: Partial lunar eclipse, 18:20 UTC; 31 December 2028: Total lunar eclipse, 16:53 UTC. This is deliberately a regional shortlist. Solar-eclipse paths are narrow, lunar eclipses require the Moon to be above the local horizon, and both can be lost to cloud. Open the NASA source attached to each event before planning travel or observation; never look at the Sun without certified eclipse viewers.

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 pounds sterling (GBP).

Frequently asked questions

What makes a Swansea star map personal?

The confirmed date, local time and coordinates determine the map. The city shortcut is 51.6208° N, 3.9432° W, but an exact selected venue can replace it.

Can I replace the centre of Swansea with an exact address?

Yes. Choose the intended autocomplete suggestion; its coordinates replace the city shortcut. Unselected free text is never silently sent to a default city.

Is the Swansea tool free?

Yes. The local calculation, tables and gyroscope exploration can be used without payment. Only the unlocked HD poster is paid.

Does this guarantee clear-sky visibility?

No. The calculations describe geometry. Cloud, terrain, buildings and light pollution can change what a person sees from the ground.

Do I have to buy a poster?

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 pounds sterling (GBP).

Create the optional €3.99 HD poster

See also

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