How do I print these star charts?
- The SFA Star Charts are printable PDF files. For best results you may want to try these printing instructions for the PDF files. To view and print these star charts you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader or the free Foxit Reader.
What other versions of these charts are available?
- Charts with no labels and no constellations lines are also available along with other outdoor exercises.
Can I use these star charts in my publication?
- These start charts can be included in non-profit publications as long as the PDF files remain unchanged and provided that the "SFA Observatory, www.observatory.sfasu.edu" is cited in the publication.
Who can I contact about these star charts?
- The author, Dan Bruton, is a professor at Stephen F. Austin State University and works at the SFA Observatory. He has written a short article about these star charts.
Who uses these star charts?
- The charts are used at several universities in observational astronomy courses. They were also published in a few text books. The constellation line developed for the SFA Star Charts are using in Google Sky. Don Carona from the Texas A&M Observatory has created an SFA Chart Viewer program based on these star charts.
How did you make these charts?
- These charts were made using Microsoft Excel with Visual Basic Macros that resize and label the dots. These charts use public domain data distributed by the Astronomical Data Center at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
How can I make my own star charts?
- You may find these data resources to be helpful in getting started:
- Yale Bright Star Catalog [ZIP]
- SFA Constellation Lines [XLS] Video Explanation
- Messier Catalog [XLS]
- Milky Way Boundary [XLS]
- Constellation Boundaries [XLS]
