Layers and labels

Choose a starting set

For naked-eye orientation, begin with constellation lines, constellation names and the horizon. When you are hunting a known target, add object labels or search instead of switching every label on. A crowded display is usually slower to read than a selective one.

Objects

Deep-sky objects

Draws selected galaxies, nebulae and star clusters from the Messier and NGC/IC catalogues. Turn it on to plan binocular or telescope targets, then add Object labels if you need names on the map. Faint deep-sky objects may sit above the horizon and still be lost in moonlight or city glare.

Planets, Sun, Moon

Places the calculated positions of the bright Solar System bodies. This is the most direct layer for finding a planet or seeing where the Moon sits among the stars on a chosen date.

Active meteor showers

Displays radiants for selected major showers active on the selected date. Marker brightness reflects whether the radiant sits above the calculated horizon, and a ring marks the annual peak. The meteor-shower guide covers activity periods, ZHR and observing advice.

Labels

Star labels

Adds names or common designations for named stars. Turn it on to learn bright star patterns; turn it off when a dense field becomes hard to read.

Object labels

Adds names and catalogue designations for deep-sky objects where available. Handy with a target list; it can obscure symbols in rich areas of the Milky Way.

Constellation names

Places the names of the 88 constellations on the chart. Leave it on while learning the seasonal sky; switch it off once the line drawings alone are familiar enough.

Constellations and large-scale context

Constellation lines

Draws the visual patterns that make the sky easier to navigate. These lines are a teaching convention; they do not represent physical connections between stars.

Constellation boundaries

Shows the official IAU regions of the sky. Boundaries answer which constellation contains an object; the line drawings help you recognise the shape.

Milky Way

Adds the broad band of our Galaxy as a context layer. It is especially helpful when learning summer and winter sky regions. What you actually see outdoors depends heavily on sky darkness and transparency.

Reference lines

Coordinate grid

Draws the grid for the coordinate system currently selected on the map. In horizontal mode it is tied to your observing site and horizon; in equatorial mode it gives the fixed right-ascension and declination reference used by atlases. See coordinate systems for the difference.

Ecliptic

Traces the Sun’s apparent yearly path across the sky. The Moon and the planets stay close to this line, which makes it a good guide when you are hunting for them.

Meridian

Marks the north–south line that passes through the local sky. Objects near it sit at or close to their highest position for that date and location.

Horizon

Shows the geometric horizon for your chosen location. It is a solid visibility reference, but it cannot know about your local trees, hills, buildings or haze.

Sun analemma

Draws the Sun’s position at the selected clock time across a full year. The figure-eight comes from Earth’s axial tilt and its varying orbital speed. Use it to compare seasonal solar height at a consistent time of day; it is a reference layer, not a path the Sun follows in a single day.