Interactive sky map

A live, compass-oriented view of Messier, Caldwell, planet, and bright-star targets above your horizon. North is at the top, east on the right, and the center is straight overhead (zenith). This is a target-finder map, not a photographic star atlas.

Choose your observing location or viewing direction: Enter latitude/longitude to change where you are observing from, or use Compass from/to and elevation below to choose which direction to look. You can also use both. The existing location stays selected when you change only the compass settings.

Latitude Longitude Local date and time

Compass from Compass to Min elevation Max elevation

S → E means the southeastern quadrant, through SE. Other pairs use the shorter compass arc. The shaded area is the selected region; only objects inside it are shown. Full sky shows all targets above the horizon. Update sky reapplies your chosen compass and elevation filters.

Interactive Sky Map below: Each dot is an astronomical target (Messier, Caldwell, planet, or bright star). Click or tap any dot to see its name, altitude, compass direction, and other information in the Selected target panel.

Optional: Type a target to search and press Enter. Note that Full Sky may be required to find some targets. Catalog

Hover a dot to see its name, or select it from the searchable target list. Colors: Messier blue, Caldwell green, planets amber, bright stars pale blue. A selected target is highlighted gold. The Caldwell catalog contains all 109 objects; only targets above the horizon appear on the map.

Choose your location and update the sky.

◉ Highlighted object · ● Target inside selected sector · Shaded region = viewing area. Select any dot to inspect it.

The horizon is the outer circle; the inner ring is 30° altitude. Accuracy assumes an unobstructed horizon. The catalog may be limited if the source is temporarily unavailable.

Visible targets

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