You can create a free personalised star map with a chosen date, local time, location and your own message, then download the finished artwork as a JPG. Choose Free JPG £0; you do not need to order a print or enter payment details. Canvas and Poster are optional paid finishes.
This walkthrough uses The Celestial Atlas, with The sky above you selected. Our clearly labelled example is York, United Kingdom, on 21 June 2024 at 22:00 local time. We completed the free download and checked the file: it is 2625 × 3500 pixels, in portrait orientation.
What to prepare
- The date and local time you want the map to represent.
- The town or city, plus enough detail to choose the correct search result.
- A short headline and, if you want one, a personal message.
Check the time before you begin. A date on its own does not identify the same moment as a date and time together. If you are making a gift, confirm the spelling of names and places before downloading.
Create your star map, step by step
1. Open the free creator and choose the sky view
Use the free Star Map creator. This link opens the Atlas example with the free finish selected. Our demonstration uses The Celestial Atlas and The sky above you. Keep those choices to follow the same walkthrough.
2. Set your moment and select the correct place
Open Your moment. Enter your date and Local time, then search for the place. Select the matching result rather than leaving a search term unconfirmed. We chose York, England, United Kingdom · Europe/London.
Check the location and time-zone confirmation underneath. For our June example, it showed Europe/London · GMT+1 with daylight saving applied automatically. That is the confirmation for this example, not a year-round offset to enter for every UK date.
3. Add your words
Open Your words. We switched on the small line above the sky and entered EXAMPLE STAR MAP, kept the Atlas artwork title, set the main headline to A summer evening in York, and added An example moment, made for this guide. as the personal message. Replace these with wording meaningful to you. The short closing line is optional; we left it off.
4. Choose colours and sky details
In Colour and sky details, choose a colour finish and inspect the preview. Our example uses Forest & Brass with Faint constellation lines enabled. The other visible Atlas finishes are Midnight & Gold, Antique Ivory, Oxblood & Copper and Ivory & Ice. The colour choice changes the presentation; your selected date, time and location still define the moment.
5. Download and check the JPG
Open Choose your finish and make sure Free JPG £0 is selected. Wait for the artwork to be ready, then select Download free JPG. Our confirmation read 2625 × 3500 px and offered Download JPG again.
Look in your browser’s downloads list or your device’s Downloads folder. On a phone, use the browser’s download control and Files app if the image has not appeared in Photos. Open the JPG to check the wording and complete artwork. Our file was named YI2C-atlas-local-2024-06-21-3500px.jpg; your filename may differ.
Calculated sky, artistic presentation
The star map uses the chosen place, date and time to calculate the sky. The colour finish and decorative presentation are artistic choices. Where other Star Map looks offer atmosphere effects, those effects are not a reconstruction of historical weather. The artwork is not a photograph taken at the location.
The Atlas interface also notes that mapped stars may not be visible to the eye in twilight. Treat the map as a calculated representation, not a promise of what someone could see through cloud, daylight or local lighting.
Optional: turn the artwork into a physical print
The free JPG is a digital file, not a canvas or poster sent through the post. If you would like a physical version, explore Star Map Canvas and Poster options or choose the corresponding finish in the creator. Check the selected format, size and displayed price before ordering. Printing is optional; you can simply keep your free file.
Star Map FAQs
Do I have to buy a print to download?
No. We downloaded this example with Free JPG selected, without using a basket or making a payment.
What size is the free download?
The Atlas portrait example tested here is 2625 pixels wide by 3500 pixels high. Check the dimensions shown for your chosen artwork instead of assuming every design or creator uses the same proportions.
Can I add a personal message?
Yes. The tested Atlas design includes a main headline, optional personal message and optional small lines. Review the finished layout after entering your wording.
Does an atmosphere effect show the actual weather that day?
No. Decorative atmosphere is artistic presentation, separate from the calculated sky. It should not be described as recorded historical weather.
Prefer a design centred on names and memories? Follow our free personalised Word Art guide.