Sky Explorer

Pan and zoom across the real night sky — stars, galaxies and nebulae from professional survey imagery, like an online map of the whole celestial sphere. Switch to the live planetarium view to see tonight's constellations, the Moon and the planets, or open the Universe map to dive into the DESI Legacy Surveys — one of the largest 2D maps of the sky ever made. Powered by Aladin Lite (CDS Strasbourg), Stellarium Web and the Legacy Surveys Sky Viewer. Free, no sign-up, no API key.

Explore the sky

Sky imagery: DSS2 colour and other all-sky surveys (STScI / CDS), served as HiPS tiles. Map viewer: Aladin Lite © CDS, Université de Strasbourg / CNRS.

Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom. Use the layers button in the map to switch surveys (DSS, 2MASS). The Aladin Lite viewer runs in your browser; only the sky tiles stream from CDS.

100% free, no sign-up Real survey imagery (CDS) No API key, runs in your browser

Asteroid Tracker

Near-Earth asteroids passing close to us — size, speed and miss distance in lunar distances, from NASA/JPL data.

Open tool

ISS Tracker

Watch the International Space Station orbit Earth in real time on a world map — live latitude, longitude, altitude and speed.

Open tool

How It Works

Open it and the sky loads — no account, no key.

1

Move around the sky

Drag to pan and scroll or pinch to zoom, exactly like an online map — but across the whole celestial sphere, from bright stars down to faint galaxies.

2

Jump to famous objects

Use the preset buttons to fly straight to the Andromeda Galaxy, the Orion Nebula, the Pleiades or the centre of the Milky Way — then zoom in for the detail.

3

Switch surveys or views

Open the layers control in the map to swap between sky surveys such as DSS (visible light) and 2MASS (infrared), or use the Live planetarium button to see tonight's constellations and planets in Stellarium Web. New to the night sky? Our guide on how to find the constellations shows you how to star-hop from a few signposts. Then check what's overhead with the ISS Tracker or Asteroid Tracker.

Frequently Asked Questions

What am I looking at?
Real imagery of the night sky, stitched from professional all-sky surveys such as the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) and 2MASS. Pan by dragging and zoom with the scroll wheel or pinch — like an online map, but of the whole celestial sphere.
Where does the imagery come from?
The map is powered by Aladin Lite, developed by the Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS). Survey imagery is served as HiPS tiles from the CDS servers. LK Forge hosts the Aladin Lite app itself and streams the sky tiles from CDS.
Do I need an account or API key?
No — completely free, no account, no sign-up and no API key. The Aladin Lite viewer and the public HiPS surveys are open to everyone.
Why does it need WebAssembly?
Aladin Lite v3 uses a WebAssembly core to render the sky smoothly. It runs entirely on your device — nothing about your viewing is uploaded or stored.

Related space & sky tools

Aurora Forecast

Will you see the northern lights tonight? A live aurora map from NOAA’s OVATION model, with the current Kp index and a check for your location.

Space & sky

→

ISS Tracker

Follow the International Space Station live as it orbits, with its ground track and pass times.

Space & sky

→

Asteroid Tracker

See near-Earth asteroids passing by, with their size, distance and close-approach dates.

Space & sky

→

3D Solar System

An interactive 3D orrery showing the planets at their real positions today, orbiting in real time — drag to explore and click a planet for facts.

Space & sky

→

The Planets

Explore all eight planets — facts, size, distance, day length and temperature — each with a live rotating 3D view.

Space & sky

→

NASA Eyes

Fly through NASA's live 3D visualization of the solar system, Earth and near-Earth asteroids, straight from NASA/JPL.

Space & sky

→

Moon Phase

Check tonight's moon phase and illumination, plus the full lunar calendar.

Space & sky

→

Sunrise & Sunset

Find local sunrise, sunset, golden hour and solar noon times for any day.

Space & sky

→

UV Index

See the current and hourly UV index for your location, with burn-time guidance.

Space & sky

→

Eclipse Calendar

Upcoming solar and lunar eclipses, moon phases and weather-code references.

Space & sky

→

All Space Tools

ISS tracker, asteroid tracker, live sky map, planet guide and NASA Eyes.

Space

→