Make your own planisphere

Dominic Ford

2014–2024

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 a wheel, it shows how
stars move across the sky through the night, and how different constellations are
visible at different times of year.
Here, I present a kit which you can download and print to make your own planisphere
out of paper or cardboard.
The design of a planisphere depends on the geographic location where it is to be
used, since different stars are visible from different places. I have created kits for
use at a wide range of latitudes, which you can download from
https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere/
The planisphere presented in this document is designed for use at a latitude of 30◦ N
.

What you need

• Two sheets of A4 paper, or preferably thin card.
• Scissors.
• A split-pin fastener.
• Optional: one sheet of transparent plastic, e.g. acetate designed for use with
overhead projectors.
• Optional: A little glue.

Assembly instructions
Step 1 – Planispheres look slightly different depending on where you live. The
planisphere prepared in this document is designed for use anywhere on Earth which
is within a few degrees of latitude 30◦ N . If you live elsewhere, you should download
an alternative kit from
https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere/
Step 2 – Print the pages at the back of this PDF file, showing the star wheel and
the body of the planisphere, onto two separate sheets of paper, or more preferably
onto thin card.
MAKE YOUR OWN PLANISPHERE 2

Step 3 – Carefully cut out the star wheel and the body of the planisphere. Also cut
out the shaded grey area of the planisphere’s body, and if you have it, the grid of
lines which you have printed onto transparent plastic. If you are using cardboard,
you may wish to carefully score the body of the planisphere along the dotted line
to make it easier to fold it along this line later.
Step 4 – The star wheel has a small circle at its center, and the planisphere’s body
has a matching small circle at the bottom. Make a small hole (about 2mm across)
in each. If a paper drill is to hand, these are ideal, otherwise use a compass point
and enlarge the hole by turning in a circular motion.
Step 5 – Slot a split-pin fastener through the middle of the star wheel, with the
head of the fastener against the printed side of the star wheel. Then slot the body
of the planisphere onto the same fastener, with the printed side facing the back of
the fastener. Fold the fastener down to secure the two sheets of cardboard together.
Step 6 (Optional) – If you printed the final page of the PDF file onto a sheet of
plastic, you should now stick this grid of lines over the viewing window which you
cut out from the body of the planisphere.
Step 7 – Fold the body of the planisphere along the dotted line, so that the front
of the star wheel shows through the window which you cut in the body.
Congratulations, your planisphere is now ready for use!

How to use your planisphere

Turn the star wheel until you find the point around its edge where today’s date is
marked, and line this point up with the current time. The viewing window now
shows all of the constellations that are visible in the sky.
Go outside and face north. Holding the planisphere up to the sky, the stars marked
at the bottom of the viewing window should match up with those that you see in
the sky in front of you.
Turn to face east or west, and rotate the planisphere so that the word ”East” or
”West” is at the bottom of the window. Once again, the stars at the bottom of
the viewing window should match up with those that you see in the sky in front of
you.
If you printed the grid of altitude and azimuth lines onto transparent plastic, these
lines let you work out how high objects will appear in the sky, and in which direction.
The circles are drawn at altitudes of 10, 20, 30, ..., 80 degrees above the horizon.
For reference, a distance of ten degrees roughly equates to a hand-span at arm’s
length. The curved lines are vertical lines connecting points on the horizon up to
the point immediately above your head. They are drawn in the cardinal directions
S, SSE, SE, ESE, E, etc.

Customised planispheres
This planisphere kit was designed using a collection of Python scripts and the pycairo
graphics library. If you would like to customise your planisphere, you are welcome

© 2014–2024 Dominic Ford. Distributed under the GNU General Public License, version 3.
Document downloaded from https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere/
MAKE YOUR OWN PLANISPHERE 3

to download the scripts from my GitHub account and modify them, providing you
credit the source:
https://github.com/dcf21/planisphere

License
Like everything else on In-The-Sky.org, these planisphere kits are © Dominic
Ford. However, everything on In-The-Sky.org is provided for the benefit of am-
ateur astronomers worldwide, and you are welcome to modify and/or redistribute
any of the material on this website, under the following conditions: (1) Any item
that has an associated copyright text must include that unmodified text in your
redistributed version, (2) You must credit me, Dominic Ford, as the original author
and copyright holder, (3) You may not derive any profit from your reproduction
of material on this website, unless you are a registered charity whose express aim
is the advancement of astronomical science, or you have the written permission of
the author.

© 2014–2024 Dominic Ford. Distributed under the GNU General Public License, version 3.
Document downloaded from https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere/
 MAKE YOUR OWN PLANISPHERE 4

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

© 2014–2024 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,
dates 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 2014–2024.
© Dominic Ford 2014–2024. For more information, see https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere
you see in the sky in front of you. visible in the sky.
viewing window should match those that in front of you. shows all of the constellations that are
Once again, the stars at the bottom of the should match those that you see in the sky 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 north. Holding the Turn the star-wheel until you find the point
3 2 1
PLANISPHERE 30°N

5PM
7AM

NORTH
EA T
ST ES

6PM
W
6AM

7PM
5AM

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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11PM
SOUTH
MAKE YOUR OWN PLANISPHERE 6

GLUE HERE

G E
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GLUE HERE

This grid of lines can optionally be printed onto transparent plastic and glued into
the cut out window in the planisphere’s body to show the altitudes of objects in the
sky, and their directions.

© 2014–2024 Dominic Ford. Distributed under the GNU General Public License, version 3.
Document downloaded from https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere/