What Is TheSkyLive and What Does It Offer?

Updated

TheSkyLive is a free-to-access online guide to the solar system and the night sky, aimed at astronomy enthusiasts at every skill level. It combines reference information on celestial objects with interactive tools — star maps, a 3D solar system viewer, moon calendars, and "what's visible tonight" lists — so you can go from "what is that object?" to "where do I look for it?" in one place. The one thing you should do first is set your observing location, because visibility data and star map orientation depend on it.

What you can look up

The site organizes its content into two broad groups: objects and tools.

Objects covered:

  • Major planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)
  • Comets — a long, frequently updated list of named comets (e.g. C/2026 P2 (PANSTARRS), C/2025 Y1 (ATLAS), 3I/ATLAS)
  • Asteroids
  • Near Earth Objects
  • Artificial satellites 🛰︎
  • Space probes
  • Constellations and deep sky objects
  • Supernovae

Tools available:

  • 3D Solar System Viewer
  • Star Maps (interactive)
  • Personalized Star Map
  • Moon Calendar — today's moon phase, next full moon, next new moon
  • The Sky Tonight
  • Planets / Comets / Asteroids Visible Tonight
  • What is Visible Now?
  • Jupiter's Galilean Moons
  • Saturn's Rings and Moons
  • Solar and Lunar Eclipse information
  • Cloud Cover Maps

Setting your observing location

This is the step that makes everything else accurate. The site states that without a location it defaults to Greenwich, UK, and warns that "visibility information and star map automatic orientation might be off."

You have three options:

  1. Autodetect Location — let the site determine where you are.
  2. Set Location Manually — enter a place yourself.
  3. Don't Set Location — proceed with the Greenwich default, accepting that the data may not match your sky.

Once set, the site displays your location with local context — for example, Greenwich shows timezone Europe/London plus sunrise (6:46), transit (12:52), and sunset (18:58). That timing data is what feeds the nighttime visibility lists.

Finding an object in the sky

The "Find it in the sky" tool lets you choose an object and visualize it on the interactive star maps. The object picker includes the Sun, Moon, and all eight planets, plus the current comet list — so if you've read about a comet and want to know where it sits relative to your horizon, this is the direct path.

How to use it in practice

A typical session looks like this:

  1. Open the site and set your observing location (autodetect or manual).
  2. Check The Sky Tonight or What is Visible Now? to see what's up during your nighttime window.
  3. Narrow down by category — Planets Visible Tonight, Comets Visible Tonight, or Asteroids Visible Tonight.
  4. Pick a specific object and use Find it in the sky to see it plotted on the star map.
  5. Cross-check Cloud Cover Maps before heading outside.
  6. For planning further ahead, use the Moon Calendar (phase, next full/new moon) and the eclipse pages.

Expected result: a location-specific list of observable objects plus a map position for each, rather than a generic sky chart.

Common sticking points

  • Skipping the location step. This is the most common source of confusion — visibility times and map orientation will be wrong for you if the site is still on the Greenwich default.
  • Assuming "visible tonight" means visible to the naked eye. The lists indicate what is above the horizon and observable in principle; faint comets and asteroids typically need optical aid.
  • Forgetting the Moon. A bright moon can wash out faint targets even when they're technically "visible tonight" — the Moon Calendar helps you judge this.

What it isn't

TheSkyLive is a reference and planning tool, not a live telescope feed or a social platform. Its value is in aggregating object data, visibility windows, and sky positions behind one location setting. There's also a companion app and a donation option; the site does not publish pricing details in the material reviewed here, so treat any cost questions as unconfirmed rather than assuming free or paid.

If you want a single starting point for "what can I see tonight, and where do I look," setting your location on TheSkyLive and working through the visibility lists is the fastest route.