Start with your site and equipment

Find targets for a night

Request a small, explained shortlist without knowing catalogue identifiers. This searches a bounded starter sample, the Moon and seven planets; it is not an all-sky survey.

Equipment choices express preferences, not promises of visibility. Darkness, atmosphere, sky brightness, aperture, observer experience and unresolved model boundaries can change what you actually see.

Coordinates are rounded to two decimal places and sent only when you submit. This form does not save or activate a location, upload equipment profiles, or request weather. Already know your targets? Use the manual night planner.

How would you like to observe?

Naked eye Binoculars Telescope

Naked eye favours the Moon and bright stars; binoculars favour known angular field fits and deep-sky families; telescopes favour Solar System targets and double stars. These are editorial ordering preferences, not detection or resolving-power limits. A double-star label does not mean its components can be resolved.

Prefer Maximum shortlisted targets

Optional constraints you supply True field of view, degrees (optional)

Use a measured or calculated true field if you know it. Known catalogue major-axis extents can be compared with this angle; fitting does not guarantee visibility. Leave blank for an unknown field. Double-star separation is not treated as an object diameter.

Maximum catalogue V magnitude (optional)

This is your explicit catalogue filter, not a limiting magnitude inferred from equipment. Larger magnitudes are fainter. Supplying it excludes unknown or non-V magnitudes, including Moon and planet candidates whose brightness is not supplied. Integrated deep-sky magnitude is not surface brightness or point-source detectability.

A night runs from local noon to the following noon. Optional UTC observing hours avoid ambiguous clock-change times.

Night starting

IANA time zone (for example Europe/London)

Latitude, degrees north

Longitude, degrees east

Minimum altitude, degrees

Minimum Moon separation, degrees

Darkness threshold

Observing hours (optional)

Leave both times blank to consider the whole local night. Otherwise enter UTC start and end times within that night; UTC avoids ambiguous clock-change hours.

Start in UTC End in UTC

Horizon profile (optional)

Enter 2–72 lines, each with an azimuth and minimum altitude in degrees, separated by a space. North is 0°, east 90°, south 180°, west 270°. Heights interpolate between directions and across north; the larger of this profile and your minimum altitude applies. Blank means terrain is unknown.

Moon separation applies to other targets only while the Moon’s geometric centre is above 0°, independent of terrain. Every target must remain at least 30° from the Sun; this gives no solar-observing instructions.

This performs one bounded calculation and can take up to 40 seconds. Nothing is requested until you submit. No account is required.