Sky Tonight
What the Decks Would Show
Zenith in the centre, horizon at the rim, north at the top, for an invented valley in the southern hemisphere. Slide the hour and watch the sky turn.
Chart
Point At a StarBright Stars, Real Positions, RoundedRings At 30 And 60 Degrees Up
Illustration, not a navigation tool. The site latitude and longitude are invented (about 30 degrees south). Bright-star positions use rounded J2000 coordinates and the faint background field is generated, so the shapes are right and the details are not.
Hover or tap a bright star for its name, brightness and height above the horizon. The chart redraws as you move the hour.
Bright Stars Above the Horizon At This Hour (Text List)
Early Evening
Scorpius Goes Down In the West
Antares and the curl of the tail sit over the west ridge at nightfall in October, with the centre of the band behind them. It is the first thing a guide points at because it is the thing you have already seen without knowing it.
Around Midnight
The Cross Is Low In the South
The Southern Cross and the two Pointers hug the south ridge this time of year. From the south deck you can watch them ride along the crest, which is the reason the south deck exists.
Toward Dawn
Orion Comes Up Over the East Ridge
By three in the morning Orion is up, standing on its head the way it does from here, with Canopus high above it. Overnight guests who set an alarm for it rarely regret it.