What Next?

As already noted, our sky-chart applet doesn't show the Moon's true orientation, though it does correctly represent the lunar phase. The chart also shows the five naked-eye planets with symbols that are all the same size, belying the huge range of brightness among them. We accepted these compromises to keep the applet from getting too big and taking too long to download. When high-speed Internet connections become more common, we'll address these limitations in a future release of the applet.

If you click the Create PDF button under the All-Sky Chart or the Selected View, you'll get a black-on-white version you can print without emptying your printer's ink cartridges.

If you want more power in a sky-charting program — fainter stars and planets, more deep-sky objects, the ability to zoom in and out — you should consider buying one of the full-featured planetarium programs advertised regularly in Sky & Telescope. We didn't design our sky-chart applet to compete with these programs, merely to bring the magazine's monthly evening sky charts to life.

So what are you waiting for? Download our sky-chart applet, pick a location anywhere on the planet, and explore the night sky. Remember: on the Web it's never cloudy!