There’s a sky over every birth. A new baby star map draws it for the date, the minute and the city your baby arrived, so you can keep the view from that day.
Make your star map · Prefer to have it made for you? See it on Etsy
What you need
- The date. Easy to remember.
- The time. It may be on the birth certificate or in the hospital records. If you don’t have it, leave it blank. The map uses noon, local clock time (daylight saving included for that place and year), and says so.
- The place. Start typing the city where your baby was born and pick it from the list.
That’s all. The map does the rest.
What goes on it
You can add a title, your baby’s name and one short line of your own. For example:
- “Welcome, Oliver”
- “The day you arrived”
- “Our little star”
- The name, the date and the city
- A line from you, such as “We’ve been waiting for you”
You can also choose how the sky is drawn, with the Moon’s phase, the planets, the constellations and the Milky Way, if you like.
A word about the zodiac layer
The map has an optional layer that shows zodiac signs and symbols. It can show which tropical sign the Sun was in on the birth date, as a simple fact about where the Sun was. In the stars themselves, the Sun may have been in a neighboring constellation. It doesn’t say anything about your baby’s personality or future, and you can leave it off.
Ideas for using it
- A nursery print. A quiet piece for the wall, with the name and date.
- A baby shower gift. Ask the parents-to-be for the due date, then make the map after the birth.
- A new grandparent gift. Easy, personal and quick to make.
- A birthday keepsake. Make a fresh one every few years, and watch the collection grow.
How the map is made
The map is drawn from astronomical calculations of the real sky for the date, time and place you give. The preview is computed in your browser, and nothing you enter into it is sent or stored. If you save or share an image, it includes the details you leave on it. If you order through Etsy, you submit your personalization there so the map can be made. In the preview, your baby’s name stays on your device.
Questions people ask
What if we don’t know the minute? Leave the time blank. The map uses noon, local clock time. The sky turns through the day, so a different time shows a different view.
Do I have to use a hospital’s name? No. The map asks for a city. Pick the one closest to where your baby was born.
Can I make a map for an older child? Yes. The map works for any date between 1900 and 2100, so it’s just as good for a child born years ago.
What happens to my baby’s details? The preview runs in your browser, so nothing you type into it is sent or stored. If you order through Etsy, you submit your personalization there. If you save or share an image, it includes the details you leave on it.
Make yours
Add the date, the time and the city, then add a name.
Make your star map · Prefer to have it made for you? See it on Etsy
You’ll add your names, date, time and place in the personalization box on Etsy.
Related: The night I was born · Graduation star maps · Star map gift ideas
