Custom star map
A custom star map with a message inside
A custom star map shows the sky as it was over one place on one night: the night you met, the day a child was born, a wedding evening. Pick a date and a city and the map is drawn from a real star catalogue. Ours adds one thing a poster cannot do. The QR code in the corner plays a voice message, so the person who opens the gift also hears why that night matters.
Turn it into a keepsake
Shape
Night and place
No time? We draw the sky at 21:00. Pick the nearest large city if yours is not listed.
Style
Words
Pick a date and a city to see the sky.
Preview is watermarked. The full files (PNG, SVG and print PDF) come without it.
City data: GeoNames. Star data: d3-celestial.
Make it yours- 1. Choose the nightAny date from 1900 to today, and one of 34,000 cities. Leave the time empty and the sky is drawn at 21:00 local time.
- 2. Add the messageMake a free voice code and record a few words, or put photos behind the code instead. Add a title and two lines to the print.
- 3. Print itDownload PNG, SVG or a print PDF and print it at any size. The deep blue poster and the nebula style suit a dark frame.
How the sky is calculated
The map uses about 2,000 of the brightest stars with their constellation lines, placed for your date, time and location, with daylight saving time and historical time zones taken into account. It shows the stars above the horizon with the zenith in the centre. It is made as a keepsake, not as a navigation chart: planets and the Moon are not drawn.
Occasions
The night you met or got engaged. A wedding date as a first anniversary gift, which is traditionally paper. The night a baby was born, with the name and the weight under the map. A memorial for the night someone passed, with their voice behind the code.
If your town is not listed
The list has cities with more than 15,000 people. Pick the nearest larger city: across a distance of 50 km the sky looks the same to the eye.
Why a message changes the gift
A star map is beautiful and a little silent. A recording turns it into a story: thirty seconds of you saying what happened that night. The message can be replaced later on a permanent code without reprinting the poster.
Questions
Is the star map accurate?
The star positions are computed for your date, time and city from a public star catalogue, including time zone history. It shows stars and constellation lines above the horizon. Planets and the Moon are not included.
What if I do not know the time?
Leave it empty. We draw the sky at 21:00 local time, when the stars are out on most nights of the year.
How far back can the date go?
From 1 January 1900 to today.
Which files do I get?
A 2048 pixel PNG, an SVG and a print PDF, all without the watermark. You can change the style and the words any time and download again for the same code.
How much does it cost?
Trying the designs is free and the preview is watermarked. The design is $9.99 once, on top of a permanent code. If your code is not permanent yet, both together are $14.98. There is no subscription.
Do you print or ship it?
No. You get the files and print them wherever you like: at home, at a print shop or with an online framing service. That also means there is no shipping wait.