This huge map, measuring almost half a metre, contains around 2,500 stars up to magnitude +5.6, visible to the naked eye in a clear, dark sky. The stars are connected by lines, making it easy to find characteristic constellations. The locations of objects in the Messier catalogue and some other astronomical objects, most of which are only visible with binoculars or a telescope, are also marked. The Milky Way is highlighted with a lighter background. A grid of astronomical coordinates – right ascension and declination – is superimposed on the map.
At the bottom of this page, there are three additional maps showing enlarged sections of the sky:
– the border area between the constellations Virgo and Coma Berenices, characterised by a particularly large accumulation of galaxies, with a full description of the symbols used to denote the objects;
– the region of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, useful for the so-called "naked eye" star range test – by observing the increasingly faint stars in this region, we can easily determine the current star range at the observation site;
– the Pleiades or M45 in the constellation Taurus, the most famous and brightest open star cluster.
The map allows you to see the current appearance of the sky in Poland. The date can be found on the edge of the map, and the hours and minutes on the edge of a partially transparent overlay.
The Rotating Sky Map was created for the centre of Poland, a place with a longitude of 19°E and a latitude of 52°N.
To set the map correctly for a given moment, you must first determine the local time directly related to the location of the observation.
This is possible thanks to the schematic map of Poland included here, which contains the appropriate corrections (in minutes) for different longitudes in Poland.
Using the main hour scale, in the summer period, subtract 1 hour from the calculated value. For convenience, a second time scale has been added to the map for the summer period.
