Google Sky Maps is a celestial map that shows you objects like stars, constellations, galaxies, planets or the Earth's moon. To use Google Sky Maps, go to www.google.co.uk/sky.
Search the sky
To search for celestial objects and locations, enter a search term and click Search. Below are some examples.
Crab NebulaOrionNGC 24375:34:32.01,32:00:45.96
Move through the sky
There are two ways to change your view of the sky.
Pan
To pan or move the map, do one of the following:
- Drag the view in any direction.
- To move north, press the up arrow.
- To move south, press the down arrow.
- To move east, press the right arrow.
- To move west, press the left arrow.
Zoom in or out
There are a few ways to zoom in and out of the sky:
- Press the + or - key.
- Move your cursor over a place on the map and use the mouse scroll button.
- Drag the zoom slider up or down.
Tip: To centre and zoom in on a place, double click on the place.
Note: In the bottom left-hand corner, you'll see the coordinates of your cursor. These coordinates update as you move the cursor.
See different views
To see different views in Google Sky Maps, go to the top right-hand corner and choose a view. To stop seeing a view, click it again.
Note: You can use more than one view at a time.
- Infrared: See infrared imagery of the current view. To adjust the opacity, move the slider.
- Microwave: See microwave imagery of the current view. To adjust the opacity, move the slider.
- Historical: See historical maps of the sky. To adjust the opacity, move the slider. You might get a better view by zooming out.
See collections of imagery
You can see interesting collections of imagery by clicking on the thumbnails at the bottom of the page, like Hubble Showcase. To adjust the opacity, move the slider (if available).
Share a link
You can share a link to your current view and post it on a website or give it to others. To share a link, follow the steps below.
- In the top left-hand corner, click on Link to this page.
- Copy the web address in the address bar.
- Paste the address in an email or message field and send it to someone.
Print an image
To print an image, go to the top right-hand corner and click on Print.
Note: You can only print the base imagery, not imagery from views like infrared or historical.
View KML content
After you've created a map, you can view KML-based content. To see KML-based content, enter the URL of your KML file in the search box and click Search.
Note: You can only display one KML file at a time. Currently, placemarks do not appear in Google Sky Maps.