GUIDES
Your first night with Orion
A simple observing workflow for choosing a location, finding an object, and matching the map to the sky.
Open the sky mapSet your place and time
Choose a city, enter coordinates, or use your current location. Confirm the location name and time zone. Tap Live for the current sky. Without a selected location, the map uses Greenwich in the United Kingdom.
Choose one easy target
Open Object list, select planets or bright stars, and turn on Above horizon only. Select a target to read its altitude and direction. Above the horizon does not necessarily mean visible: daylight, clouds, terrain, and light pollution matter.
Match the map to your view
Drag to look around, pinch to zoom, or use the zoom buttons. On a phone, tap the camera icon beside the zoom controls. The map aligns automatically when a reliable compass heading is available. You can always pause tracking and move the map manually.
Use the accessible controls
The object list provides text directions without relying on the canvas. With a keyboard, Tab through controls, use Enter or Space to activate buttons, and press Escape to dismiss dialogs. On the map, arrow keys move the view and plus or minus changes zoom.