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Star map gifts

A star map as a gift: the sky over a night they remember

Everyone has a night worth keeping: the one they were born, the one they met someone, the one they moved into a first home. A star map draws the real sky over that place at that minute, with every star the eye could see, the Moon and the planets where they were, and a line from you set above the date and the place.

The digital star map is ready as soon as it is paid for, on a private page you can forward on the day; a print or framed print is made to order and shipped to the address you give at checkout. Enter their date, time and place and watch the sky appear.

Example star map gift: the sky over Edinburgh, Scotland at 10:05 pm on 17 November 1968, headed For Dad, from all of usExample
Example: the sky over Edinburgh at 10:05 pm on 17 November 1968, an invented birthday, with the givers' line above the date.

Set in capitals above the date, up to 60 characters. Leave it empty and the date takes its place.

How you would like it

Paid once. No account needed: the private link is yours to keep. Prices in US dollars.

How it is drawn

  • The circle is the whole sky overhead, with the horizon as its edge: north at the top and east on the left, as it looks when you lie on your back and look up.
  • Every star down to magnitude 6.5 is in it, the brightest named, with the Moon and the planets that were above the horizon at that minute.
  • Rings mark 30 and 60 degrees above the horizon, and a small cross the point straight overhead.
  • The same drawing makes the preview, the digital files and the print, so what you see here is what you receive, without the preview mark.

Questions

What do I need to know about the person?
The date, the place and, as near as possible, the time of the night you are marking. For a birthday, the time of birth is on their birth certificate; if you cannot ask, their best guess or the family's is closer than any default.
Can a gift arrive in time for a date?
The digital star map is ready the moment the payment goes through, as a private link you can forward or print yourself, so it can be given the same day. A print is made to order and shipped; we email you when it is ordered and again when it ships.
Can I have it sent straight to them?
Yes. For a print, give their address at checkout. For a digital star map, the link comes to your email, so you choose when they receive it.
Can they change the line at the top afterwards?
On a digital star map, yes: whoever holds the private link can set or change the line and download the files again. The sky, the date and the place stay as bought.
What if I do not know the exact time?
The sky overhead turns a full circle every day, about fifteen degrees an hour, so a star map is drawn for one minute and an order needs a time. If you know it roughly (morning, just after midnight), enter your best guess: it is closer than any default. Without a time the free preview shows the sky at midday, labelled as such.
How long can the line at the top be?
Up to 60 characters, set in capitals above the date. A long line takes a second line at a smaller size rather than being cut short; words the poster cannot set whole are refused before payment, never shortened.
How is a print delivered?
Prints are not on sale yet. The digital star map is ready as soon as it is paid for, on a private page with the files to download.

Other occasions

Every star map is the same drawing of the real sky; these pages introduce it for other days. For any other date, the custom star map takes a date from 1800 to 2100 and any place.