Astronomy tools: calculators, charts and calendars

Astronomy tools: calculators, charts and calendars

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This page brings together all the interactive tools on sterngucker.de: calculators, charts, calendars and a learning game. Everything runs directly in your browser – no app, no account, no sign-up. The astronomical values are calculated on our own server – Moon, Sun and planets using the JPL approximate elements and Meeus, checked against the JPL ephemeris DE421 – rather than pulled from a third-party service.

🗺️Interactive star chart1,289 stars and 89 constellations for any location, date and time – in your browser, no app and no sign-up. 🌠Meteor shower calendar with Moon forecastEvery meteor shower with its calculated peak, the Moon’s position on that exact night and an observing rating from “Ideal” to “Hopeless”. ✨Constellation gamePractise 30 constellations in three game modes – including as a bare star pattern without lines, just like the real sky. With a kids’ mode. 🔭Telescope calculator & visibility simulatorMagnification, field of view, exit pupil – and a true-to-scale view of how Jupiter, Saturn or the Andromeda Galaxy look in your telescope. 📷Astrophotography calculatorField of view, sampling and exposure time for camera and telescope – the figures that matter before you buy an astro camera. 🌕Full moon calendarThe next full moon with its exact time, all dates up to 2028 with distance and supermoon and blue moon markers – by year and month. 🌑New moon & dark nightsAll new moon dates up to 2032 and the column nobody else has: the dark nights per month – the real deep-sky window.

Which tool for what?

You want to know what’s up tonight: The star chart shows you what is in the sky for your location and the current time – and exactly where.

You’re planning a meteor night: The meteor shower calendar tells you whether the Moon will cooperate – and gives the realistic rate for each night, not the theoretical one.

You’re thinking about buying a telescope: The telescope calculator with visibility simulator shows you in advance how big Saturn really appears in the eyepiece (the lens you look through). That saves you the most common disappointment after the first night.

You want to find your way around the sky: The constellation game trains exactly the skill that counts outside – recognising patterns without guide lines.

No calculator can tell you which telescope suits you.
The telescope calculator shows you what an instrument can do – not whether it suits your sky, your space and your budget. Six short questions, an honest answer by email, no sales pressure.

Which telescope is right for you?

Answer a few quick questions – your personal telescope recommendation lands straight in your inbox. Free and no strings attached.

Question 1 of 6

Just tap your answer – it moves on automatically.

Who is the telescope for?

What do you mainly want to observe?

Do you also want to take photos through the telescope?

Will you often take the telescope to a different observing site?

What is your budget?

Almost done! Where should we send your recommendation?

We use your details solely to send you your personal telescope recommendation by email. Details in our privacy policy.

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Great – your personal telescope recommendation is on its way to your inbox!

No email? Please check your spam folder too, or write to us at info@sterngucker.de.

For schools, observatories and clubs

All tools may be linked freely and used in lessons or guided tours. They need no installation and also run on smartphones. If you miss a tool or spot a mistake, write to us – the calculation methods are openly documented so they stay verifiable.