<p>Perhaps use a phone app instead of a web page. Lordparthurnaax and I both recommende skEye, you <a href="https://youtu.be/65SqzVi_gx0?t=22" rel="nofollow noreferrer">can vary</a> the brightness. A phone will rotate and map the sky it's directed towards. I learnt all the constellations and major stars. Search for astronomy on your app store. <a href="https://play.google.com/store/search?q=astronomy&amp;c=apps&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Here</a> are the search results for Google Play Store.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-12T10:25:12.753Z
Indeed, virtual observatory apps on phones are great, especially for beginners. I use the premium version of Stellarium on my phone. You should try out [Skyview Lite](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.t11.skyviewfree), it has a charming AR interface. I also found [SkEye](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lavadip.skeye) to be really useful too.
lordparthurnaax
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-12T10:58:36.897Z
Hey Awesome! it was skEye that I used to see the stars too, i had fogotten. I spent a week sleeping on a 40x20' water bed in Luberon region.  The sun kept the bed at a steady 28 degrees and the stars were fascinating. good times.
bandybabboon
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-12T15:16:18.937Z
I don't own a smart phone and I don't want to own a smart phone.  Be honest, do you really increase productivity with those things?
bobsmith76
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-12T16:20:16.100Z
@bobsmith76 A smartphone is just a tool. You don't have to use it for non-productive activities. For example  I *receive* a few hundred texts a year as delivery tracking notifications from courier services, reminders for medical appointments, etc. I probably *send* less than 10 per year. The amount of time I spend interacting with social media sites is zero, since I am not a member of any. Oh, and if my car breaks down, being able to contact a breakdown service and report my exact position "in the middle of nowhere" using GPS can be quite "productive" compared with the alternatives.
alephzero
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-12T18:31:31.223Z
@bobsmith, unless you are a computer wizz, smartphones do have lots of timewasting features to them: notifications, adverts, news pages. They are just personal computers with touchscreens.  some companies like Xiaomi use an advert centric business, they sell the phone cheap with the goal of presenting you lots of adverts after updates. You would probably think they are fabulous if you got one, I used skEye on a 2012 phone that was tiny. (s3 mini). no need to pay to use skEye on a phone, i found a samsung s6 in a recycle bin the other day, people just give them away.
bandybabboon
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-12T18:33:09.463Z
@bobsmith76 It's just a general use computer with some expectations of software and hardware. The difference here is that some of those attributes (handheld, portable network connection, GPS sensor) make it better at this task than other types of computers (you really don't want to drag the old mainframe terminal out into a field with you to stargaze, even if you have long enough cables).
user3067860
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-13T00:25:29.550Z
@alephzero, I owned a smartphone for about 7 months back in 2009, I quickly found out that the negatives far outweighed the positives.  The temptation to check the 24 hour news cycle or look up some absurdly obscure fact is too great and worth too much trouble.  I like to keep my mind as free from distraction as possible.
bobsmith76
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-13T00:26:01.143Z
btw, I'm a computer whiz, I have about 9000 hours experience coding Python.
bobsmith76
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-13T16:34:52.790Z
Just asking, how do you count the hours? No offense meant :)
lordparthurnaax
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-13T17:12:36.140Z
@bobsmith, you don't even need an internet connection to use skEye it's a 1.5 MB download... just get the program and then put in your lattitude/longitude/altitude and you can see the stars as you pivot the android screen, and you can track manually too. it's a truly fabulous program, find a bin-phone from 2012 with 20 minutes of batteries and try it!!! it runs offline. Good on you coding python, many people with PC's don't code either because they are game addicts. smartphones are just like pc's.
bandybabboon
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-12T09:53:59.017Z
2021-01-12T11:01:05.563Z
2021-01-12T11:01:05.563Z
bandybabboon
<p>I think your requirements can be met by <a href="https://stellarium.org/" rel="noreferrer">Stellarium</a>. It is a freely available open-source planetarium software available for PC, and can be used offline.</p>
<p>There is also a web version, which you can try out <a href="https://stellarium-web.org/" rel="noreferrer">here</a>.</p>
<p>You can filter stars out by pollution levels, as illustrated in <a href="http://stellarium.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Advanced_Use#Light_Pollution" rel="noreferrer">the stellarium wiki</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/8385/how-can-i-make-stellarium-match-the-magnitude-of-stars-visible-in-london-uk">Here</a> is an Astronomy Stackexchange answer on matching the magnitude of stars to what is visible from specific cities.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-12T14:43:55.937Z
The web version doesn't appear to have the light pollution setting.
Kreiri
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-12T15:42:59.693Z
I do not use the Web Version, it seems that you can only turn on or off the Atmosphere. The PC as well as the mobile versions do support it though. The PC version is incredibly detailed though.
lordparthurnaax
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-12T18:55:51.443Z
This is exactly what I was going to recommend when i clicked the question. Stellarium is an amazing piece of software that deserves to be in the toolbox of any aspiring amateur astronomer. The PC version even has a night mode that shifts everything into red monochrome, so you can take a laptop outside and actually compare what you see in the sky directly to what’s on-screen.
Austin Hemmelgarn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-12T19:28:11.500Z
Absolutely. Plus the add-ons for comets etc are amazing as well. Hell even catalogues like NGC and UGC are there. The all red night mode is available in the android version as well, albeit there the functionalities are reduced overall.
lordparthurnaax
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-13T02:30:02.543Z
Actually I'm not seeing how you filter out dim stars on stellarium.  I have a mac not a pc. Do I have to do a lot of programming to filter out these stars.  i'm will to do some but now much.  i'm a programmer and i'm aware that five hour projects can easily turn into 50 hour projects and i'm not willing to spend 50 hours on this.
bobsmith76
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-13T03:57:09.710Z
I don't think the operating system matters here. On the options on the left of the screen, go to 'Sky and Viewing Options', then on the dialog box that opens, you'll see 'Light Pollution' under the heading of Atmosphere. Tweak it and it should work. [Here's a YouTube video that should guide you](https://youtu.be/B1v3lvK7BuI).
lordparthurnaax
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-12T06:00:42.467Z
2021-01-12T06:00:42.467Z
lordparthurnaax
<p>This webpage is very good for viewing the night sky and learning the names of the stars
<a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Timeanddate - Astronomy</a></p>
<p>However, it shows too many stars. Because I live in the city, I can only see about 50 stars. If I could filter out all of the dim stars, that would help me focus on just the top 50 brightest stars. If I want to learn the names of the stars and how to identify them I have to start with the brightest. Yes, you can scroll over the star and it will tell you how bright it is, but that is very time-consuming.</p>

<observational-astronomy><amateur-observing><night-sky><star-gazing>
Is there a webpage that shows the night sky but can filter out dim stars?
bobsmith76
# Is there a webpage that shows the night sky but can filter out dim stars?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-01-12)

This webpage is very good for viewing the night sky and learning the names of the stars
[Timeanddate - Astronomy](https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/)

However, it shows too many stars. Because I live in the city, I can only see about 50 stars. If I could filter out all of the dim stars, that would help me focus on just the top 50 brightest stars. If I want to learn the names of the stars and how to identify them I have to start with the brightest. Yes, you can scroll over the star and it will tell you how bright it is, but that is very time-consuming.

**Tags:** observational-astronomy, amateur-observing, night-sky, star-gazing


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-01-12. Score: 13 | Accepted answer

I think your requirements can be met by [Stellarium](https://stellarium.org/). It is a freely available open-source planetarium software available for PC, and can be used offline.

There is also a web version, which you can try out [here](https://stellarium-web.org/).

You can filter stars out by pollution levels, as illustrated in [the stellarium wiki](http://stellarium.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Advanced_Use#Light_Pollution).

[Here](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/8385/how-can-i-make-stellarium-match-the-magnitude-of-stars-visible-in-london-uk) is an Astronomy Stackexchange answer on matching the magnitude of stars to what is visible from specific cities.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: The web version doesn't appear to have the light pollution setting.  
> **username_2**: I do not use the Web Version, it seems that you can only turn on or off the Atmosphere. The PC as well as the mobile versions do support it though. The PC version is incredibly detailed though.  
> **username_6**: This is exactly what I was going to recommend when i clicked the question. Stellarium is an amazing piece of software that deserves to be in the toolbox of any aspiring amateur astronomer. The PC version even has a night mode that shifts everything into red monochrome, so you can take a laptop outside and actually compare what you see in the sky directly to what’s on-screen.  
> **username_2**: Absolutely. Plus the add-ons for comets etc are amazing as well. Hell even catalogues like NGC and UGC are there. The all red night mode is available in the android version as well, albeit there the functionalities are reduced overall.  
> **username_0**: Actually I'm not seeing how you filter out dim stars on stellarium.  I have a mac not a pc. Do I have to do a lot of programming to filter out these stars.  i'm will to do some but now much.  i'm a programmer and i'm aware that five hour projects can easily turn into 50 hour projects and i'm not willing to spend 50 hours on this.  
> **username_2**: I don't think the operating system matters here. On the options on the left of the screen, go to 'Sky and Viewing Options', then on the dialog box that opens, you'll see 'Light Pollution' under the heading of Atmosphere. Tweak it and it should work. [Here's a YouTube video that should guide you](https://youtu.be/B1v3lvK7BuI).  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-01-12. Score: 2

Perhaps use a phone app instead of a web page. Lordparthurnaax and I both recommende skEye, you [can vary](https://youtu.be/65SqzVi_gx0?t=22) the brightness. A phone will rotate and map the sky it's directed towards. I learnt all the constellations and major stars. Search for astronomy on your app store. [Here](https://play.google.com/store/search?q=astronomy&c=apps&hl=en&gl=US) are the search results for Google Play Store.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Indeed, virtual observatory apps on phones are great, especially for beginners. I use the premium version of Stellarium on my phone. You should try out [Skyview Lite](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.t11.skyviewfree), it has a charming AR interface. I also found [SkEye](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lavadip.skeye) to be really useful too.  
> **username_1**: Hey Awesome! it was skEye that I used to see the stars too, i had fogotten. I spent a week sleeping on a 40x20' water bed in Luberon region.  The sun kept the bed at a steady 28 degrees and the stars were fascinating. good times.  
> **username_0**: I don't own a smart phone and I don't want to own a smart phone.  Be honest, do you really increase productivity with those things?  
> **username_3**: @username_0 A smartphone is just a tool. You don't have to use it for non-productive activities. For example  I *receive* a few hundred texts a year as delivery tracking notifications from courier services, reminders for medical appointments, etc. I probably *send* less than 10 per year. The amount of time I spend interacting with social media sites is zero, since I am not a member of any. Oh, and if my car breaks down, being able to contact a breakdown service and report my exact position "in the middle of nowhere" using GPS can be quite "productive" compared with the alternatives.  
> **username_1**: @bobsmith, unless you are a computer wizz, smartphones do have lots of timewasting features to them: notifications, adverts, news pages. They are just personal computers with touchscreens.  some companies like Xiaomi use an advert centric business, they sell the phone cheap with the goal of presenting you lots of adverts after updates. You would probably think they are fabulous if you got one, I used skEye on a 2012 phone that was tiny. (s3 mini). no need to pay to use skEye on a phone, i found a samsung s6 in a recycle bin the other day, people just give them away.  
> **username_4**: @username_0 It's just a general use computer with some expectations of software and hardware. The difference here is that some of those attributes (handheld, portable network connection, GPS sensor) make it better at this task than other types of computers (you really don't want to drag the old mainframe terminal out into a field with you to stargaze, even if you have long enough cables).  
> **username_0**: @username_3, I owned a smartphone for about 7 months back in 2009, I quickly found out that the negatives far outweighed the positives.  The temptation to check the 24 hour news cycle or look up some absurdly obscure fact is too great and worth too much trouble.  I like to keep my mind as free from distraction as possible.  
> **username_0**: btw, I'm a computer whiz, I have about 9000 hours experience coding Python.  
> **username_2**: Just asking, how do you count the hours? No offense meant :)  
> **username_1**: @bobsmith, you don't even need an internet connection to use skEye it's a 1.5 MB download... just get the program and then put in your lattitude/longitude/altitude and you can see the stars as you pivot the android screen, and you can track manually too. it's a truly fabulous program, find a bin-phone from 2012 with 20 minutes of batteries and try it!!! it runs offline. Good on you coding python, many people with PC's don't code either because they are game addicts. smartphones are just like pc's.  

---

