Starry Memory

A personalised star map gift for Wellington

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 Wellington sky free

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

A place is not a decorative caption on a star map. For a memory in Wellington, 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 — Wellington starts at 41.2866° S, 174.7756° E; choosing a venue or address replaces that centre point before the poster is calculated.
  • GPS · IANA reference — Exact reference: Wellington Region, 41.2866° S, 174.7756° E, Pacific/Auckland.
  • 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 Wellington, the keepsake begins with a real point on Earth before it becomes an image of the sky. Its verifiable starting point is GeoNames 2179537, 41.2866° S, 174.7756° E, in timezone Pacific/Auckland.

The astronomical fingerprint of Wellington

Wellington is represented by 41.2866° S, 174.7756° E, in Wellington Region, using the IANA zone Pacific/Auckland. This is a mid-latitude viewpoint: the relevant celestial pole stands about 41.3° above its horizon. GeoNames record 2179537 supplies the geographic reference; its population field is 381,900 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: 14 h 40 / 9 h 20; February: 13 h 36 / 10 h 24; March: 12 h 20 / 11 h 40; April: 10 h 53 / 13 h 07; May: 9 h 41 / 14 h 19; June: 9 h 02 / 14 h 58; July: 9 h 18 / 14 h 42; August: 10 h 20 / 13 h 40; September: 11 h 44 / 12 h 16; October: 13 h 08 / 10 h 52; November: 14 h 22 / 9 h 38; December: 14 h 58 / 9 h 02. The longest estimated night in this model is June at 14 h 58; the shortest is December at 9 h 02. “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.

Wellington's verifiable local record

Calculation identity: GeoNames 2179537 · city Wellington · region Wellington Region · country New Zealand · national selection rank 3 · reference population 381,900 · source elevation —. Spatial fingerprint: latitude -41.28664 · longitude 174.77557 · south hemisphere · timezone Pacific/Auckland · celestial-pole altitude 41.3°. Seasonal signature: longest night in June, 14 h 58 · shortest night in December, 9 h 02 · range 5.93 hours. Meridian star markers: Crux 71.3° * · Carina 71.3° * · Pavo 66.3° * · Hydrus 61.3° * · Octans 49.3° * · Centaurus 84.3°. Nearby catalogue cities: Christchurch 305 km · Hamilton 392 km · Tauranga 418 km. First regional eclipse shortlist: 2027-07-18 Penumbral lunar eclipse 16:04 UTC · 2027-08-17 Penumbral lunar eclipse 07:14 UTC · 2028-07-06 Partial lunar eclipse 18:20 UTC. Together these values form the local evidence record for the “gift” page; they change with place and remain separate from real weather.

Wellington compared with nearby catalogue cities

1. Wellington → Christchurch: 305.5 km · Δlat -2.247° · Δlon -2.142° · Δpole +2.2° · timezone Pacific/Auckland = Pacific/Auckland · longest night June 15 h 13 | 2. Wellington → Hamilton: 392.0 km · Δlat +3.503° · Δlon +0.508° · Δpole -3.5° · timezone Pacific/Auckland = Pacific/Auckland · longest night June 14 h 36 | 3. Wellington → Tauranga: 417.8 km · Δlat +3.601° · Δlon +1.391° · Δpole -3.6° · timezone Pacific/Auckland = Pacific/Auckland · longest night June 14 h 35. Monthly night comparison with the nearest catalogue reference — January: Wellington 9 h 20 / Christchurch 9 h 07 / Δ +0.23 h · February: Wellington 10 h 24 / Christchurch 10 h 16 / Δ +0.13 h · March: Wellington 11 h 40 / Christchurch 11 h 38 / Δ +0.03 h · April: Wellington 13 h 07 / Christchurch 13 h 13 / Δ -0.09 h · May: Wellington 14 h 19 / Christchurch 14 h 31 / Δ -0.19 h · June: Wellington 14 h 58 / Christchurch 15 h 13 / Δ -0.26 h · July: Wellington 14 h 42 / Christchurch 14 h 56 / Δ -0.23 h · August: Wellington 13 h 40 / Christchurch 13 h 48 / Δ -0.14 h · September: Wellington 12 h 16 / Christchurch 12 h 17 / Δ -0.02 h · October: Wellington 10 h 52 / Christchurch 10 h 46 / Δ +0.09 h · November: Wellington 9 h 38 / Christchurch 9 h 26 / Δ +0.20 h · December: Wellington 9 h 02 / Christchurch 8 h 47 / Δ +0.25 h. For a gift, the comparison explains why the confirmed place matters: a Wellington memory should not silently become its neighbour even when both share a timezone.

Latitude-screened constellations for Wellington

Each entry below gives an approximate maximum altitude at meridian transit and a practical season; an asterisk means circumpolar in this simplified centroid model: Crux: 71.3°, all year *; Carina: 71.3°, all year *; Pavo: 66.3°, all year *; Hydrus: 61.3°, all year *; Octans: 49.3°, all year *; Centaurus: 84.3°, autumn; Phoenix: 83.3°, spring; Scorpius: 74.7°, winter; Sagittarius: 73.7°, winter; Canis Major: 68.7°, summer; Virgo: 52.7°, autumn; Aquila: 48.7°, winter; Orion: 43.7°, summer; Leo: 33.7°, autumn. 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 New Zealand region

18 July 2027: Penumbral lunar eclipse, 16:04 UTC; 17 August 2027: Penumbral lunar eclipse, 07:14 UTC; 6 July 2028: Partial lunar eclipse, 18:20 UTC; 22 July 2028: Total solar eclipse, 02:56 UTC; 31 December 2028: Total lunar eclipse, 16:53 UTC; 11 July 2029: Partial solar eclipse, 15:37 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 New Zealand dollars (NZD).

Frequently asked questions

What makes a Wellington star map personal?

The confirmed date, local time and coordinates determine the map. The city shortcut is 41.2866° S, 174.7756° E, but an exact selected venue can replace it.

Can I replace the centre of Wellington 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 Wellington 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 New Zealand dollars (NZD).

Create the optional €3.99 HD poster

See also

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