PlaniSphere

Ever since he began exploring, man tried to map out every possible discovery for easier navigation next time he ends up in that region. The same applies for the sky, and Planisphere puts one of the oldest tools for identifying constellations at your disposal.

If you ever held a planisphere you might have noticed it has some limitations, in the sense that settings only allowed it to show constellations from specific parts around the globe. Luckily, the application gives you the possibility to set latitudes to any degrees ranging from 25 to 80 so you can enjoy the stellar masterpiece from wherever you are, given that the sky is clear.

And “Export” button saves the current view to a PDF file with thorough details and a legend. This enables you to print it out on a sheet of paper and build your own planisphere to take anywhere you go.

Firstly, the default aspect of the application can be changed to some of the presets, but you cannot create your own scheme.

Second, a few sliders let you adjust intensity for certain elements from the circular star chart, or toggled on and off.

Last but not least, latitude can also be set from the “Settings” menu, as well as whether it is South or North.

Unfortunately, there is no implemented function that allows for a more thorough customization for the exported file. The only adjustment you can make is whether to be on a black or white background.

Taking everything into consideration, we can say that Planisphere is a handy utility. It gives you the possibility to set the latitude for a more precise view, and the possibility to print out and build your own palpable planisphere. If you want to get a free tour of constellations, do it yourself with this application.