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Interactive sky map

A live view of the sky from your location. Search for any object and move through the night to see when it rises and sets.

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Using the sky map to plan a night

  1. Type a target like M31 or the Orion Nebula into the search box at the top.
  2. Open the date and time control in the bottom right and drag through the night to see when the target rises, crosses the meridian and sets.
  3. Check where the Moon is at the same time and how close it gets to your target.
  4. Turn on the landscape to see whether trees or buildings will block the view.

The map is Stellarium Web, the free online version of the Stellarium planetarium, shown here from their site. Each target guide also has a button that opens Stellarium Web centered on that object at the right time of night.