View of the starry sky with the star map

Suns which are so far away from us that we can only recognise them as spots of light are called fixed stars. Sirius is the brightest of these stars. As the fixed stars are so far away, their movement to one another can barely be recognised, even over many years. The fixed stars form constellations. There are a total of 88 constellations in the sky. They remain nearly unchanged over centuries. In addition to the fixed stars there are also planets. They move more quickly in our starry sky. The bright strips in the sky, the Milky Way, is not, as previously supposed, milk spilt by the gods. In fact, it consists of billions of individual suns whose tiny spots of light seem like bright fog to us.

With the help of the star map and with some imagination you can recognise the constellations. As the position of the starry sky changes during the night and in the course of the year on account of the rotation of the Earth, the time of day when you watch the sky and the respective date are of great significance.

Firstly find the time of day on the inner disc. Now turn this disc until the time of day corresponds with the date on the outer edge. Then you will see on the star card exactly those constellations which are actually in the sky on the day in question at the indicated time. You only have to think that you are wearing the card. In other words, the stars at the edge of the card are on the horizon in the respective direction. And the stars in the centre are in the sky far above you.