A planisphere will show you how the sky will look at any date and time. This one is designed for mid-northern latitudes.

Select the date and time by lining up the date on the disk with the time on the sleeve that covers the disk. The map you see will show the sky as it would appear if you were to hold the map overhead with the South marker to the south. This planisphere is set for January 15 at 9 P.M. The same sky would be visible December 30 at 10 P.M., and on January 31 at 8 P.M. The sky advances the equivalent of 2 hours every month.

Look for Orion (the Hunter) nearly on the meridian high in the sky to the south, followed by Canis Major (the Big Dog) with the brightest star in the sky, Sirius (the Dog Star) prominently visible in the evening winter sky.

Click here to see an animation of the planisphere at 9 P.M for each month from January through December. This large file may not load quickly over low-speed networks.

Click here to see the planisphere for March 21, at every hour from 9 P.M to 6 A.M. This is the sky through the night on the date of the Vernal Equinox. This large file that may not load quickly over low-speed networks.

Last update: January 4, 2020
kielkopf at louisville dot edu