Do you want to learn the constellations? Locate a planet? What you need is a good star chart. That could be the Interactive Sky Chart on our website. Or, bigger and more colorful, the monthly all-sky chart in each issue of Sky & Telescope magazine. Or a star wheel, also known as a planisphere.

But whatever kind of map you use, you need a few simple tips on how to use it. Click below to watch a YouTube video of S&T senior editor Alan MacRobert explaining how to use star charts and star wheels in his own inimitable style.