Giordano Observatory · free tools
Tonight's sky chart
La carta del cielo per il tuo luogo e la tua ora: stelle, costellazioni, Via Lattea, pianeti, Luna e oggetti di Messier. Tocca un astro per sapere cos'è.
Tools for amateur astronomers are on their way
Free tools for anyone who observes and photographs the sky, designed by our observatory: we're testing them with a small group of amateur astronomers before opening them to everyone.
- Which telescope is right for you5 questions and the 3 right telescopes, with the reasons why
- Field of viewYour telescope with any camera, on a real photo of the sky
- What to image tonightThe best objects from your location, with the Moon, comets and meteor showers
- Astronomy weatherClouds, humidity, dew and wind, hour by hour, with satellite and radar
- Sky chart and MoonTonight's sky, the Moon's phases and sky events for your calendar
- Camera databaseAstronomy cameras, DSLRs and mirrorless cameras compared
- 21 calculatorsMagnification, exposure times, backfocus, mounts and more
- Your observing logThe objects you've seen and imaged, with the 110-object Messier challenge
We'll let you know as soon as they're ready
The sky above you, hour by hour
The chart shows the whole sky visible from your location: the centre is the zenith and the edge is the horizon, with the cardinal points. Move through the hours of the night and watch constellations and planets rise and set.
What's on the chart
Stars down to magnitude 6.5 in their true colours, constellation lines and names, the Milky Way, the Moon with its phase, the planets and the 110 Messier objects. Tap an object to find out what it is called and how high it is, then frame it with your telescope.
Data: object catalogue from Stellarium (SIMBAD/VizieR, CDS Strasbourg); Digitized Sky Survey sky photos (STScI/NASA) via hips2fits (CDS); sky map by Giordano Astronomia with ESA's Hipparcos and Tycho-2 star catalogues; places: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0); sky darkness from the NASA Black Marble 2016 night lights (VIIRS, NASA Earth Observatory / GIBS); ephemerides computed with J. Meeus's algorithms and JPL orbital elements. Camera data from the manufacturers' official spec sheets.
✦ Tools designed and developed by Mattia Toto for Giordano Astronomia · @toto.astrophoto