Sky Information
This section contains all the information one could ever want about astronomical and meteorological phenomena available through Griffith Observatory and other institutions.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.
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).
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.
Click on the year for which you would like to know Sunrise ("rise"), Local Noon ("transit"), Sunset ("set"), and morning and evening Civil Twilight times: 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.
You can print monthly calendars of sunrise and sunset times for any location at Steve Edward's calculator page at http://www.sunrisesunset.com.
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.
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.
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.
For detailed information (including color maps) on future solar and lunar eclipses, see the 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.
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
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.
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
