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Memorial star maps

Memorial star map: a sky to remember them by

A memorial star map draws the sky as it stood over one place at one minute: the night someone you loved was born, or a day you shared with them that you want to keep. The stars are the ones that were really overhead, with the Moon and the planets where they were, and their name set above the date, the place and its coordinates.

It is a plain and lasting thing to hang on a wall or to give to someone who is grieving. Enter the date, the time as near as it is known and the place; the preview appears as you type, and nothing is ordered until you choose to.

Example memorial star map: the sky over Dublin, Ireland at 6:20 am on 9 August 1941, headed In loving memory of RoseExample
Example: the sky over Dublin at 6:20 am on 9 August 1941, an invented birth, headed with a line of remembrance.

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

Which date is right for a memorial star map?
Most people choose the day the person was born, because that is the sky that was theirs from the first minute. Others choose a wedding day, a day they spent together or another day worth keeping. Any date from 1800 to 2100 can be drawn.
What if I only know the date and not the time?
Enter the time as near as the family remembers it; morning or evening is closer than any default. The free preview can be drawn without a time, as the sky at midday, so you can see the map before deciding.
Can the line at the top be changed later?
On a digital star map, yes: its private page lets you set or change the line and download the files again whenever you like. For a print, write to us with your order reference before it is printed.
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.