Quadrant Search

Sometimes, the night is not about planning to the millimeter, but about exploring a specific area of the sky that you have free. The Quadrant Search is perfect for those moments when you say: "Look, I only have clear visibility towards the South-West and at mid-height, what is there?". Instead of giving you a general list, this tool divides the sky into sectors. You choose the direction (Azimuth) and height (Altitude) you are interested in, and we show you what gems are hidden in that piece of sky right now. It is the ideal tool for visual "snipers" looking for targets of opportunity in a specific sky window.

Quadrant Search

  • Location Select your observation location. You can choose from a list of cities, use one of your saved locations, or enter the coordinates manually.
  • Date and Time Select the date and time of your observation. The time slider allows you to select a specific time during the astronomical night.
  • Minimum Altitude Set the minimum altitude for the objects to be displayed. This is useful to avoid objects that are too low on the horizon.
  • Sky Quadrant Select the quadrant of the sky where you want to search for objects (North, East, South, West).
  • Maximum Magnitude Set the maximum magnitude of the objects to be displayed. The lower the number, the brighter the object.
  • Minimum Size Set the minimum size of the objects to be displayed, in arcminutes.
  • Catalogs Select the catalogs from which you want to search for objects.

After filling the form, click on "Find Objects" to see the results. The table will show the objects that match your criteria, with their current altitude, azimuth, and other useful information.

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