MAKE YOUR OWN PLANISPHERE 4

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The planisphere’s central star wheel, which should be sandwiched inside the folded
holder.

© 2014–2020 Dominic Ford. Distributed under the GNU General Public License, version 3.
Document downloaded from https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere/
 A planisphere is a simple hand-held device which shows a map of which stars are visible in the night sky
at any particular time. By rotating the star wheel, it shows how stars move across the sky through the
night, and how different constellations are visible at different times of year.
The constellations of the night sky revolve around the celestial poles once every 23 hour and 56 minutes.
The idea of representing the night sky as a flat map, which is turned to emulate the night sky's rotation,
dated back to the ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus (circa 150 BC). The fact that this rotation takes
four minutes less than the length of a day means that stars rise four minutes earlier each day, or
half-an-hour earlier each week. Through the year, new constellations become visible in the pre-dawn sky,
and disappear into evening twilight.
For more information, see https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere © Dominic Ford 2020.
© Dominic Ford 2020. For more information, see https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere
you.
those that you see in the sky in front of visible in the sky.
viewing window should match up with the sky in front of you. shows all of the constellations that are
Once again, the stars at the bottom of the should match up with those that you see in current time. The viewing window now
"West" is at the bottom of the window. at the bottom of the viewing window marked, and line this point up with the
planisphere so that the word "East" or planisphere up to the sky, the stars marked around its edge where today's date is
Turn to face east or west, and rotate the Go outside and face south. Holding the Turn the starwheel until you find the point
3 2 1
PLANISPHERE 10°S
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which to look at the star wheel behind.
It will become a viewing window through

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Cut out this shaded area with scissors.

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NORTH