Guide
Star map or Moon phase print: which to choose?
The difference between a star map and a Moon phase print, which suits which occasion, and when to choose both on one print.
Short answer
A star map shows the whole sky over one place at one minute; a Moon phase print shows the Moon of that night, close up, in its real phase. Choose the star map when the place matters, the Moon when the night itself matters or the place is unknown, and the star map + Moon print to have both. Each is $19 (final price) for the files.
Updated 10 November 2026 · Sigastra Gifts
The difference
Shows
- Star map
- Stars, constellations, planets, Milky Way
- Moon phase print
- The Moon, close up, lit as it was
- Star map + Moon
- Both on one sheet
Needs
- Star map
- Date, time, place
- Moon phase print
- Date (place turns it)
- Star map + Moon
- Date, time, place
Looks
- Star map
- Detailed, dark, many points of light
- Moon phase print
- Bold, one large form, calm
- Star map + Moon
- A tall print with two parts
Suits
- Star map
- Weddings, first dates, homes
- Moon phase print
- Births, memorials, minimal rooms
- Star map + Moon
- Anniversaries, the most complete gift
| Star map | Moon phase print | Star map + Moon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shows | Stars, constellations, planets, Milky Way | The Moon, close up, lit as it was | Both on one sheet |
| Needs | Date, time, place | Date (place turns it) | Date, time, place |
| Looks | Detailed, dark, many points of light | Bold, one large form, calm | A tall print with two parts |
| Suits | Weddings, first dates, homes | Births, memorials, minimal rooms | Anniversaries, the most complete gift |
For a family
Family Moons puts one real Moon per person on a single print: one to six names, each with the Moon of their own birthday, seen from home.
On the wall
Real rooms with a real print in them: change the date and the place in the studio and these frames show yours.
Questions
Anything else? Write to hello@sigastra.gifts.
Yes. It is drawn from NASA's maps of the lunar surface and lit by the Sun of your date, so the phase and the lit part are those of that night.
Its phase is the same everywhere on a given night, but how it is turned depends on where you stood: the Moon looks rotated between the northern and southern hemispheres.
Keep reading
All guides- GuideWhat did the sky look like on your wedding night, or the night you were born?See the real sky over any place on any date: the stars, constellations and planets overhead, and the Moon in its phase that night. Free preview.Read
- GuideWhat is the best star map gift?How to choose a star map gift that is really the sky of that night: what it should show, which occasions it suits, digital or printed, and what it costs.Read
- GuideHow accurate is a custom star map?What a real star map calculates for your date, time and place, which star and Moon data it uses, and how to tell a real map from a template.Read
- Print guideSizes, papers and where to printEvery size with its pixels, the right paper or frame, and print services for your country.Open