The sky in 3D

Moving around

• Look aroundDrag to turn the view, pinch or scroll to zoom. With a keyboard, click the view first: the arrow keys turn it, + and − zoom.
• Locked view on touch screensOn a phone or tablet the view starts locked, so swiping scrolls the page. Tap the view to move it, and tap the lock at the bottom right to lock it again. In full screen it is always free.
• Tap an objectTap a star, planet or other name for its card: what it is, its direction, height and brightness. Tap the card to centre the object, and Details opens its page.

Buttons on the view

• Full screenTop left. The view fills the screen, and the place, date and time move into a panel at the bottom. Press it again, or Escape, to go back.
• Night sky, Moon, PlanetsSwitch between the sky above your place, the Moon up close and a planet as a globe. Choose the planet in the Planets menu.
• Find an objectSearch for a planet, star, constellation, Messier object or comet. The view turns to it and opens its card.
• What to showTurn constellation lines and names, star names, planets, deep-sky objects, comets and asteroids, spacecraft, the Milky Way and the horizon line on or off, and hide the position readout or the compass.
• Zenith up or north upZ puts the point straight overhead at the top, as you see the sky from your place. N puts celestial north at the top, as in star atlases. Shown when there is room, and always in the view settings.
• Point your phone at the skyOn phones and tablets the view follows where you point the device, using its compass and tilt. Press again to stop.
• CompassBottom left. The direction you face is at the top. Press N, E, S or W to face that way, and the middle to go back to the starting view.
• Position readoutWhere the middle of the view points: azimuth (AZ) and altitude (ALT) from your place, right ascension (RA) and declination (DEC) among the stars, and the constellation.
• This guideThe i button at the bottom left opens these instructions over the view.

The time bar

• Place and nightAbove the view, or in the panel in full screen: search for a place, and choose the night with the date arrows or quick buttons such as Tomorrow and Full Moon.
• Time and dateThe moment the view shows. The bar runs from noon to noon, so a whole night fits on it.
• Drag the barDrag the dot to any moment. The colours show the Sun’s height: gold for daylight, three blues for civil, nautical and astronomical twilight, and dark for full night. Thin lines mark sunset and sunrise, the blue line is now.
• Play and pauseRuns time forward at the playback speed. At noon it carries on into the next night, unless Repeat this night is on in the view settings.
• NowBack to the present moment.
• Best timeOn a planet’s page, a third button jumps to the planet’s best moment tonight, also marked on the bar in amber.
• Playback speedHow much sky time passes each second while playing: from 10 minutes to 7 days.
• View settingsQuality (Automatic steps down by itself if the view stutters), playback speed, Repeat this night, zenith or north up, and a picture turned or mirrored to match a telescope.
• KeyboardOn the bar, the arrow keys move a minute, Page Up and Page Down an hour, and with Shift three hours.
• The panel in full screenTap or drag the grip at the top of the panel to fold it down to play, Now and the time, or away completely. Tap it again to bring it back.