When to see the Milky Way in San Francisco, California
Thursday, October 29, 2026 · local time
The Milky Way core is not well placed tonight: it is below 10°, the sky isn't fully dark while it's up, or a bright Moon is in the sky.
Best nights in the coming months
| Night of | Core visible | Window | Max height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, May 30 | 11:16 PM – 3:56 AM | 4h 40m | 23° |
| Thu, Jun 3 | 11:00 PM – 3:50 AM | 4h 50m | 23° |
| Fri, Jun 4 | 11:01 PM – 3:51 AM | 4h 50m | 23° |
| Sat, Jun 5 | 10:51 PM – 3:51 AM | 5h 00m | 23° |
| Sun, Jun 6 | 10:52 PM – 3:52 AM | 5h 00m | 23° |
| Mon, Jun 7 | 10:43 PM – 3:53 AM | 5h 10m | 23° |
| Tue, Jun 29 | 10:30 PM – 3:30 AM | 5h 00m | 23° |
| Wed, Jun 30 | 10:30 PM – 3:20 AM | 4h 50m | 23° |
| Thu, Jul 1 | 10:30 PM – 3:20 AM | 4h 50m | 23° |
| Fri, Jul 2 | 10:29 PM – 3:19 AM | 4h 50m | 23° |
Milky Way season
| October 2026 | 0 of 3 | |
| November 2026 | 0 of 30 | |
| December 2026 | 0 of 31 | |
| January 2027 | 0 of 31 | |
| February 2027 | 3 of 28 | |
| March 2027 | 18 of 31 | |
| April 2027 | 19 of 30 | |
| May 2027 | 23 of 31 | |
| June 2027 | 23 of 30 | |
| July 2027 | 21 of 31 | |
| August 2027 | 19 of 31 | |
| September 2027 | 16 of 30 | |
| October 2027 | 3 of 31 | |
| November 2027 | 0 of 30 | |
| December 2027 | 0 of 31 | |
| January 2028 | 0 of 3 |
Nights per month with at least 20 minutes of good viewing.
We count a night when the galactic centre is at least 10° above the horizon, the sky is fully dark (between astronomical dusk and dawn) and the Moon is below the horizon or less than 25% lit. City lights matter too: see the nearest dark area on the night sky page.