Can I get a star map for San Francisco on any date?

Yes — any date, any time, anywhere on Earth. Give us the moment and we compute where every visible star actually stood above San Francisco, the same calculation an observatory runs, pointed backwards.

Is the sky over San Francisco really different from other cities?

Genuinely, yes. San Francisco sits at 37.77°N, and latitude decides which part of the sky you can ever see. The Southern Cross (Crux) never rises from San Francisco — no date or time will bring it above the horizon.

Do I need the exact time?

No. If you only remember the evening, use something like 21:00 — the sky over one night barely turns between 20:00 and 22:00 at the scale this prints. If you know the hour, use it.

What do I actually receive?

A 3000 4200 print file — a clean 10 14″ print at 300dpi. You print it, so there is no shipping and nothing arrives late.

Nightward / Cities / San Francisco

Star map of San Francisco — the night sky over San Francisco, on your date

From San Francisco, Cassiopeia never sets — it circles the pole all year. Pick the night that matters and we draw the sky exactly as it stood above San Francisco — 37.77°N, 122.42°W — at that hour.

Design your San Francisco star map — from $29 Free to preview. Nothing to install.

The night sky over San Francisco — a star map showing the constellations visible from 37.77°N — The sky above San Francisco on a June evening, drawn by the same engine that makes your card.

What the sky over San Francisco is actually like

San Francisco stands at 37.77°N, and latitude is the thing that decides which half of the sky you are allowed to see at all. From here Cassiopeia is circumpolar: never setting, just wheeling round the pole through the night. The Southern Cross (Crux) never rises from San Francisco — no date or time will bring it above the horizon. That is why the city matters on a star map and is not simply a caption under it.

Latitude. 37.77°N — a middle latitude — most of the sky comes round across the year
Never sets from here: Cassiopeia.
Never rises from here: the Southern Cross (Crux).
Rises and sets from here: Orion, Cygnus (the Northern Cross), Scorpius, Gemini.
Only partly clears the horizon from here: the Plough (Ursa Major).
Darkest it gets in midsummer: about 5.4 hours of true darkness on the shortest night of the year
Passes closest to straight overhead: Cygnus (the Northern Cross) — very nearly at the zenith from this latitude

These are computed, not written: the same star positions the card itself is drawn from, evaluated for San Francisco's latitude. Change the city on your card and the sky really does change.

When the sky over San Francisco is actually dark

About 5.4 hours of true darkness on the shortest night of the year. Astronomical night — the point where the Sun is far enough below the horizon that the faint stars come out — is what decides whether a sky is worth looking at, and it depends entirely on how far from the equator you are. It does not change what goes on your card: the map is computed for the moment you choose whether or not anyone could have stood outside and seen it. It is simply worth knowing about your own city.

Why the date matters as much as the place

Place decides which stars you can ever see; date and time decide where they were standing. The sky over San Francisco on a January evening is not the sky over San Francisco in July — the Earth has moved a long way round the Sun in between, and the same constellations rise hours earlier. That is why a star map of a particular night is a keepsake rather than a poster: it is only that sky if the moment is right.

Make one for San Francisco

Pick the moment. The date, the hour, and San Francisco — or anywhere else on Earth.
Choose the occasion. Each one is its own designed sky.
Make it yours. Names, a message, your own words.
Download and print. A 3000×4200 file — a clean 10×14″ print.

Occasions people make San Francisco star maps for

Questions people ask

Can I get a star map for San Francisco on any date?: Yes — any date, any time, anywhere on Earth. Give us the moment and we compute where every visible star actually stood above San Francisco, the same calculation an observatory runs, pointed backwards.
Is the sky over San Francisco really different from other cities?: Genuinely, yes. San Francisco sits at 37.77°N, and latitude decides which part of the sky you can ever see. The Southern Cross (Crux) never rises from San Francisco — no date or time will bring it above the horizon.
Do I need the exact time?: No. If you only remember the evening, use something like 21:00 — the sky over one night barely turns between 20:00 and 22:00 at the scale this prints. If you know the hour, use it.
What do I actually receive?: A 3000×4200 print file — a clean 10×14″ print at 300dpi. You print it, so there is no shipping and nothing arrives late.

Start your San Francisco star map

Star maps for other cities

Every city we draw →