Buying guide
Moon phase print or star map?
A moon phase print shows the moon as it looked on your date, drawn large. A star map shows the stars above a place at a set time. Choose a moon print for one bold image or several dates on one print, a star map if you know exactly when and where the night happened, and a gift pack if you don’t know their date. We make moon prints, not star maps.
Checked by Filip Ljubić, Moon Phase PrintsWe make moon phase prints, not star mapsHow we checked
Which should you choose?
The facts behind each line are in the table below, with sources.
A moon phase print
What we make
Fits if you want:
- one bold image that reads from across a room
- two to four dates on one print
- a date where you don’t know the time: a few hours barely change the moon
A star map
The Night Sky, Under Lucky Stars and others
Fits if you want:
- the whole sky for a night you remember in detail
- constellations and fine detail up close
You’ll need the time: the sky turns about 15° an hour.
A gift pack
For example Sue Ryder, £19.99
Fits if you don’t know their date. They fill it in, and the poster is made afterwards.
What does each one show?
The same night, two ways. Both use your date; a star map also needs the exact time and place.
How do they compare?
The same questions for both, checked 28–29 October 2026. Each fact links to its source.
| Checked 29 Oct 2026 | A moon phase print (What we make) | A star map |
|---|---|---|
| What it shows | The moon’s shape and tilt on your date, drawn large [M2] | The stars and constellations above your place, as a circle of sky [N1] |
| What you enter | The date; the time and place refine it [M2] | The date, time and place, all three [N1] |
| Does the exact time matter? | A little. The moon changes about ½° an hour, so a rough time is fine [M2] | A lot. The sky turns about 15° an hour, so another hour shows other stars [N1] |
| How it reads on a wall | One bold shape you can see from across a room | Fine detail, best seen up close |
| How to check it | NASA’s Moon Phase and Libration, or timeanddate.com [X1] [X2] | A planetarium app such as Stellarium [X3] |
| Price, unframed, about 30 × 40 cm | Ours: $60 for 30 × 40 cm, delivered to Canada [M1] | The Night Sky: from $39 [N2] |
| Who makes them | Us, The Night Sky, moonme and many Etsy sellers [N3] [O1] [E1] | The Night Sky, Under Lucky Stars and many Etsy sellers [N1] |
Gift pack or finished print?
If you don’t know their date, a gift pack lets them choose it.
A finished print
You choose the date, the words and the design, and it arrives ready to frame or hang. Best when you know the moment.
A gift pack
They choose the date later, and the poster is made after that. It costs less (Sue Ryder’s is £19.99), but they wait for the print and you don’t choose the design. [S1]
Common questions.
Which is better for an anniversary?
Either works. A moon print suits a date you both remember, and can hold two dates, such as the day you met and your wedding. A star map suits a night you remember in detail, where you know the time and place.
Which is better for a new baby?
Both work. A moon print needs only the birth date and place, and the exact time barely changes it. A star map needs the time of birth to show the right sky.
What if I don’t know the time?
Choose a moon print, or use a rough time: the moon changes about half a degree an hour. A star map turns about 15° an hour, so a guessed time shows a different part of the sky.
Is a star map accurate?
It can be. Enter the same place, date and time in a planetarium app such as Stellarium and compare the bright constellations near the centre and the edge.
Can I get both on one print?
Not from us: we make moon prints only. Some star maps include the moon in its phase; The Night Sky’s do. If the moon matters most, see how to choose a moon phase print.
How we checked
Prepared by Filip Ljubić, Moon Phase Prints. Last reviewed .
We read the shops’ own pages and The Night Sky’s published guide to star map companies on 28 and 29 October 2026. Every fact in the table links to the page it came from. “How it reads on a wall” is our own judgement, so it has no source.
We make moon phase prints, not star maps. If something has changed or we got it wrong, email hello@moonphaseprints.com and we’ll correct it.
Sources
All pages accessed 28 and 29 October 2026. Prices and policies change often.
Moon Phase Prints
The Night Sky
Other shops
See the moon for your date.
It’s free to try, and you’ll see your moon before deciding on a print.