Function Repository Resource:

SkyChart

Source Notebook

Visualize the sky for a specified location, time and date

Contributed by: Jeff Bryant

ResourceFunction["SkyChart"][]

visualizes the sky for your current location and date.

ResourceFunction["SkyChart"][location]

visualizes the current sky for a specified location.

ResourceFunction["SkyChart"][date]

visualizes the sky for your location on a specified date.

ResourceFunction["SkyChart"][location, date]

visualizes the sky for a specified location and date.

ResourceFunction["SkyChart"][entity]

highlights the specified entity if it is above the horizon for your current location and date.

ResourceFunction["SkyChart"][entity,location]

highlights the specified entity if it is above the horizon for the specified location.

ResourceFunction["SkyChart"][entity,date]

highlights the specified entity if it is above the horizon for your current location on the specified date.

ResourceFunction["SkyChart"][entity,location,date]

highlights the specified entity if it is above the horizon for the specified location and date.

ResourceFunction["SkyChart"][{entity₁,entity₂,…}, …]

highlights multiple entities.

Details and Options

Valid domains for entities can be from any of "Planet", "PlanetaryMoon", "MinorPlanet", "Comet", "Exoplanet", "Star", "StarCluster", "Nebula", "Galaxy", "Supernova", "Pulsar", "AstronomicalRadioSource", "DeepSpaceProbe" or "Satellite".

Locations can be explicit GeoPosition specifications, or entities that support a "Position" property that returns a GeoPosition.

Background objects are labeled with tooltips.

ResourceFunction["SkyChart"] has the same options as Graphics, with the following additions and changes:

"ConstellationColor"

GrayLevel[0.37]

color to use for constellation lines

"ConstellationThickness"

0.00114

thickness to use for constellation lines

"Grid"

False

whether to include the equatorial coordinate grid

"HighlightedConstellations"

{}

which constellation entities to include the boundaries of

"PlanetColor"

RGBColor[0.5,0,0.5]

color to use for background planets

"ShowConstellations"

True

whether to display constellation lines

"StarColor"

RGBColor[0.1538,0.44126,1]

color to use for background stars

"SunRadius"

0.05

radius to use for the disks of the Sun and Moon

Examples

Basic Examples (4)

Visualize the current sky from your location:

In[1]:=

Out[1]=

Visualize the current sky from a specified location:

In[2]:=

Out[2]=

Visualize the sky from a specified location and time and highlight Mizar:

In[3]:=

Out[3]=

Visualize the sky from a specified location and time and highlight Polaris and Venus:

In[4]:=

Out[4]=

Options (9)

Visualize the sky with the equatorial coordinate grid visible:

In[5]:=

Out[5]=

Visualize the sky with a different background color:

In[6]:=

Out[6]=

Visualize the sky and highlight specific constellation boundaries:

In[7]:=

Out[7]=

Visualize the sky without constellation lines:

In[8]:=

Out[8]=

Visualize the sky but make the Sun appear larger:

In[9]:=

Out[9]=

Visualize the sky with thicker constellation lines:

In[10]:=

Out[10]=

Visualize the sky with green constellation lines:

In[11]:=

Out[11]=

Visualize the sky with green background stars:

In[12]:=

Out[12]=

Visualize the sky with green background planets:

In[13]:=

Out[13]=

Possible Issues (2)

If an object is below the horizon, it returns a Missing value:

In[14]:=

Out[14]=

Trying to visualize the Earth in the night sky returns a Missing value:

In[15]:=

Out[15]=

Version History

3.0.0 – 03 September 2020
2.0.0 – 25 August 2020
1.0.0 – 19 August 2020

Related Resources

License Information

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License