Noctalia

A small poetic map of the night sky.

Drag to travel · pinch to inspect

Place Date Time Local 00:00 UTC 00:00

Night's pace

First Light

Noctalia is an artistic learning atlas. Its sky is data-driven, but its positions and event rankings remain approximate. It should not be used for navigation, scientific planning, or eclipse-viewing safety.

Sky calculations run in your browser. Scientific foundations: HYG stars, Stellarium Western asterisms, VSOP87 planetary theory, NASA eclipse catalogues, and GeoNames city data, and Natural Earth geography. Noctalia's watercolor paintings are original artwork.

Noctalia

Explore

What sky am I looking at?

Offer Magus a photograph. It never leaves this device.

Offer a few clues optional

Use my Noctalia place Date Approximate time Looking toward

Photograph Noctalia Your photograph

Bright stars

Figures

Your Sky Tonight

Your place

✦

Reading the night…

The night could not be read.

Now

Seasons

Your place

Unfolding the seasons…

The seasonal atlas could not be unfolded.

How does your sky change through the year?

Rows: Early · Deep · Late. Ivory: full figure · mauve: partial · dim: hidden.

This night

Best

All 88 constellations

Geometric horizon, from sunset to sunrise. Twilight, weather and terrain can hide stars. Early and Late include twilight. The atlas is a recurring present-day guide.

World

Choose where you stand

Tap the world to travel.

Beneath the sky

Choose your horizon

Name a city, and the heavens will turn above it.

Begin with two letters.

Your horizon Paris

City data by GeoNames.

Almanac

From To Keep

Every sky story is awake.