Sky Atlas & Planning

The Plan screen is ARIS’s interactive sky atlas. It displays a spherical projection of the sky with deep-sky objects, stars, constellations, and the Milky Way. Use it to find targets, check when they are visible, and send them to the Sequencing screen for automated capture.

Sky Map

The sky map is a full spherical projection centered on your current sky. The horizon line, cardinal directions, and zenith are all visible to help you orient.

Navigation:

• Drag to pan across the sky.
• Pinch to zoom in and out (field of view adjusts from a wide overview down to a narrow telephoto view).
• Double-tap an area to smoothly zoom in and center on that point.
• Double-tap while zoomed to zoom back out.

The map updates in real time as the sky rotates overhead. Objects rise in the east, transit the meridian, and set in the west — just like the real sky.

DSO Catalog

ARIS includes a comprehensive deep-sky object catalog covering thousands of galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, and other objects. Objects are rendered on the sky map at their catalog positions and scaled by their angular size.

Browsing and filtering:

• Search by name or catalog designation (M 42, NGC 7000, IC 1396, Barnard 33, etc.) using the search bar at the top of the screen.
• Filter by type — choose a category (galaxies, nebulae, clusters, etc.) to narrow the display.
• Above horizon only — toggle to show only objects currently above your horizon.

Tap any object on the map to select it and see a summary tooltip with its name, catalog designation, magnitude, and angular size. Tap the tooltip to open the full detail panel.

DSO Reference Images

For many deep-sky objects, ARIS provides curated reference images drawn from professional sky surveys. These images are rendered directly on the sky map at the correct position, scale, and orientation, giving you a preview of what each object looks like.

Reference images are available at two tiers:

• Essentials bundle — a curated set of the most popular targets, included by default.
• Full survey library — thousands of additional objects available for download.

You can manage image downloads from the download panel (accessible from the atlas) or from Settings > Image Library.

Tip

Downloading the full image library and sky tiles ahead of time gives you a richer atlas experience in the field, where internet access may be limited.

Altitude Charts

When you select a target, an altitude chart appears showing the object’s altitude above the horizon over the course of the night. The chart helps you answer the key planning question: when is this target highest in the sky?

The chart displays:

• Altitude curve — the target’s elevation from sunset to sunrise.
• Twilight zones — civil, nautical, and astronomical twilight are shaded so you can see when the sky is truly dark.
• Current time marker — a vertical line showing where you are right now relative to the target’s visibility window.
• Horizon line — objects below this line are not observable.
• Moon position — shown when relevant, so you can judge its impact on your imaging.

Note

If you have imported a horizon profile (see below), the altitude chart uses your actual tree line and obstructions instead of a flat zero-degree horizon.

Adding Targets to Sequences

When you find a target you want to image, tap it and choose Add to Sequence. ARIS will create a new entry on the Sequencing screen pre-filled with the target’s name and coordinates. If the target is not yet above the horizon, ARIS will ask whether you want to add it for later or schedule it for when it rises.

You can also tap GoTo to slew the mount directly to the selected object for framing or visual observation.

Download Management

The Plan screen is the gateway to ARIS’s offline sky data. On first launch, the atlas prompts you to download survey images and sky background tiles for the best experience. Downloads include:

• DSO survey images — reference photographs rendered on the sky map.
• Sky background tiles — high-resolution base layer for the atlas (available in 8K and higher resolutions).
• Milky Way panorama — a 16K base panorama of the Milky Way rendered behind the star field.

All downloads are optional and can be managed at any time. Storage usage is shown so you can balance image quality against available space on your device.

Horizon Profiles

If you have captured a panorama of your imaging site using the ARIS panorama tool, the atlas can import it as a horizon profile. This masks the sky map below your actual tree line, buildings, and other obstructions, giving you an accurate picture of what is truly visible from your location.

Horizon profiles also feed into the altitude chart — instead of a flat horizon at zero degrees, the chart uses your real obstruction line, so transit times and visibility windows are precise for your site.

Note

Horizon profile capture uses your device’s camera and motion sensors. See the Panorama Capture guide for instructions on recording a site panorama.