The map is calculated, not decorative. Give it a place, date and local time and the catalogue stars above the mathematical horizon are calculated for that latitude, longitude and instant, then drawn as a chart. Two maps for the same date but different cities differ, because the sky overhead differs. That's the whole appeal: it isn't a picture of space in general, it is a record of one night, which is why they are usually bought for a birth, a wedding, an anniversary or the night two people met.
Most are printed as a dark circular sky field with a caption line underneath carrying the place, date and coordinates. Ours is built from your own date and location at personalised star map, previewed before you buy. If you want the constellations themselves rather than one particular night, the constellation prints are the standing charts, and what is a constellation explains the 88 official ones.
For the long version, a worked Greenwich example and how to pick your moment opens Your own sky. The same stage also covers turning a photograph into cosmic art, which is the other way to put something of your own on the wall.
Written by Craig Fearn, Aphelion Prints. Last updated .