What is in the sky tonight, and how to find it.
The sky is drawn as seen from where you are, right now: stars, constellations, planets and the Moon. Tap an object to see which way to turn, how many fists above the horizon to look and when it rises and sets. Lessons teach the sky step by step, and the stars in a night photo can be identified too.
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Key features
- Sky map
- A view from the horizon: about 9,100 stars from the Yale Bright Star Catalogue (down to magnitude 6.5), lines and names of the 88 constellations, names of bright stars, the Sun, the Moon with its phase, the planets and selected deep-sky objects. Drag to turn; zoom with two fingers, the wheel or + −. The sky changes colour in daylight and twilight.
- Tonight
- Sunset, the time full darkness begins, the illuminated fraction of the Moon and a short note on the night. The "Visible now" list shows planets, the Moon, deep-sky objects visible to the naked eye and bright stars, with their best times.
- How to find it
- For the selected object: direction and height above the horizon, counted in fists at arm's length; brightness, distance, rise, highest point and set times, the light's journey and tips. Centre, Follow (keeps the object centred as time moves on) and Remind me (an .ics calendar file).
- Lessons
- 8 lessons: finding your way in the sky, Polaris, the Great Square of autumn, star-hopping to Andromeda, planet or star, phases of the Moon, the turning sky, brightness and magnitude. Each step turns the sky to the target and numbers the stars; "Show me" plays the time or the date. Progress is saved.
- Point at the sky
- On phones and tablets with an orientation sensor, the view turns with the device; it shows the name of the object in the middle and which way to turn towards a chosen target. An optional camera image in the background; it is not recorded.
- Identify photo
- Choose, drop or take a photo of the night sky; stars are found on the device and the photo's place in the sky is worked out. The result is an image marked with constellation lines, matched stars, names and deep-sky objects; "Open in sky" and a marked PNG.
Data processing and privacy
Stellavo does all sky calculations, lessons and photo identification on this device. The place comes from the offline list of cities, from coordinates, or from the device with "Use my location"; your location is never sent anywhere. Places, settings, lesson progress and photos are kept on this device (in the browser's IndexedDB storage); photos never leave the device, and the camera image is not recorded.
Get Stellavo
Try it in the browser without installation; for continued use, purchase the version for macOS, Windows or Linux.