About our charts

We want you to know exactly what a Painted Skies chart is — and what it isn't.

What is computed fact

The stars are placed from the Hipparcos catalogue of measured stellar positions. The Moon's phase and the positions of the visible planets are computed from NASA/JPL's DE440 ephemeris. Their placement in your chart — altitude and azimuth — is exact spherical astronomy for the date, time, and coordinates you provide. The margin prints those coordinates and the source so the result is verifiable, not decorative.

The instant on-screen preview is a close approximation for speed; the file we print is computed to the exact second, including the precise topocentric Moon.

What is tradition, clearly labelled

The optional birth-flower companion is folklore — the flower traditionally associated with a birth month — and is always presented as tradition. The optional natal layer shows real planetary positions as fact; any astrological interpretation is presented explicitly as tradition. Painted Skies makes no predictive claims — nothing about destiny, fortune, health, or the future. We commemorate a moment that truly happened. That is the whole promise.