Sky Information
This section contains all the information one could ever want about astronomical and meteorological phenomena available through Griffith Observatory and other institutions.
Sky Report
The Sky Report is a three-minute recorded telephone message that gives the latest information on what's up in the sky. You can hear it 24/7 by dialing (213) 473-0880. There is no charge other than for long-distance fees if you are outside the Los Angeles area. The text of the Sky Report is also available on this web site (see the Sky Report web page for details). The Sky Report is usually updated on Wednesdays.
You might also enjoy Earth & Sky's "Tonight's Sky, monthly Sky Calendar with maps, and "The Evening Sky Map." All are excellent monthly resources.
This site has tables of Moon Phases for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, with times expressed in PST (PDT when applicable). Also included are times of equinoxes and solstices for each year.
The Observatory also has a table of Moon Phases from 1997-2014 expressed in Universal Time, and the Munich Astro Archive (Germany) has a set of tables of Moon Phases from 1700 to 2199.
To find the phase of the moon for any month, visit the U.S. Naval Observatory's Moonphase page.
There is a page for Blue Moons.
Click here for a table of Moonrise and Moonset times for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 calculated for Los Angeles using software developed at the U. S. Naval Observatory. Times are PST (PDT when applicable).
To find the time of moonrise or moonset for any month (among many other things), visit the U.S. Naval Observatory's almanac page.
Chris Peat's Moon Data page (customized for Los Angeles) gives detailed information on the moon for the date you enter.
You can print monthly calendars of moonrise/moonset and moon phase information (plus sunrise and sunset) at Steve Edward's calculator page at http://www.sunrisesunset.com.
The Moon-Sighting site has detailed information on the visibility of the moon, especially as it relates to Islamic needs.
Click here for a table of Sunrise, Sunset, and Civil Twilight times for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 calculated for Los Angeles using software developed at the U.S. Naval Observatory. Times are PST (PDT when applicable).
Click here for a graph with explanation that shows the suns' daily path across the sky throughout the year as seen from Los Angeles (34° north) and from latitude 42° north.
To find the time of sunrise or sunset (or the sun's position at any moment) and twilight times for any place and any date (within reason), visit the U.S. Naval Observatory's almanac page. Chris Peat's Solar Data page (customized for Los Angeles, but you can change it) at his Heavens-Above site gives detailed solar data including twilight times for the date you enter. You can print monthly calendars of sunrise and sunset times for any location at Steve Edward's calculator page at http://www.sunrisesunset.com. And Sunheight gives accurate sun (and moon and planet) rising and setting data as tables and graphs for thousands of locations.
See the sites mentioned at the top of this page for descriptions and charts of the current night sky. And check the Observatory's own Sky Report for a weekly summary of where the planets are.
Chris Peat's Heavens-Above displays detailed data for each planet and an overhead "orrery" view of the solar system for dates you enter. The URL linked here is customized for Los Angeles, but you can change it to another location. Sky View Cafe lets you view charts of the sky (and more) for any date and time. And AstronomyDaily.com shows the planets in the sky, in their orbits, and gives detailed information on each customized for your location.
This simple table for planispheres lists the constellation each naked-eye planet -- Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn -- is in on a month-by-month basis through the year 2035. It is intended for people who want to know approximately where the planets are to plot them on planispheres, or rotating star finders.
Click here for a table of equinoxes and solstices plus pehihelions and aphelions from 1992 - 2020, courtesy the U.S. Naval Observatory.
Access the U. S. Naval Observatory Master Clock and set your computer's clock or hear the Voice Announcer (requires Real Audio) or go to "Official US Time" sponsored by the Department of Commerce and the US Naval Observatory (accurate to within 1/3 second).
Access a list of Daylight Saving Time observances in the United States from 1918 through 2015 (projected).
Tidal information for Los Angeles (and other locations) can be found at: Tide and Current Predictor.
Eclipses
For detailed information (including color maps) on future solar and lunar eclipses, see the US Naval Observatory's Upcoming Eclipses site, and NASA's Eclipse Home Page. For a list of future lunar eclipses visible from Los Angeles go to the Future Lunar Eclipses through 2015 page at this web site. Additional references for North America are Total Solar Eclipse Paths 2001-2050 and Annular Eclipse Paths 2001-2050. The next solar eclipse visible from Los Angeles does not happen until 2012!
Comets and Meteors
For information on comets that may presently be visible to amateur astronomers go to:
Astrosite Groningen at: http://www.shopplaza.nl/astro/home.htm
Weekly Information on Bright Comets at: http://www.aerith.net/comet/weekly/current.html
Sky & Telescope news headlines at: http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/current
Central Bureau for Astronomical Infomation at: http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/Headlines.html
Los Angeles Weather
The Canadian Meteorological Center has very kindly created a web page that forecasts cloud cover and sky transparency for the Griffith Observatory. You can access it at http://cleardarksky.com/c/GriffObsCAkey.html. Our thanks to Attilla Danko for providing this service.
See regional satellite maps plus find local weather forecasts at Intellicast.com. And Wunderground.com gives the local weather forecast and nighttime observing conditions (plus a star chart) for the location you choose.
Space Station and other Satellites
If you enjoy observing artificial satellites, especially the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, the Hubble Space Telescope, and Iridium flares, please go to web sites that will calculate information customized for your observing location. The Observatory especially recommends Heavens- Above. Among the web sites that will plot satellites are:
CelesTrak WWW
Heavens-Above
Visual Satellite Observers Home Page
NASA Human Spaceflight
Liftoff to Space
Laura Woodard Eklund of the Mt. Wilson Observatory Association maintains a list of "Events of Interest to Astronomy Lovers in Greater Los Angeles" at http://www.mwoa.org/events.htm.
