Star maps / Memorial
A memorial star map of a night that was theirs
Type a place and a date: their birthday, the last night you had with them, or an ordinary evening by the lake they loved. We print the stars as they stood over that spot that evening, with their name and the date beneath.
Print from $39, framed from $89. Free US shipping.
Design a memorial star mapYou see the finished poster before you pay. Any date from 1930 on.
Which night to choose
There is no right answer here. These are the nights that tend to work:
- The night they were bornThe town or the hospital and their birthday. It remembers the start of a life rather than the end.
- The night they passedThe place where they were, or the home they lived in. Some people want the sky that was above them at the very end. If it happened after midnight, read the next section before you type the date.
- Their wedding nightFor a widow or widower, the sky over the church or the hall on the day they married. See the wedding star map and the 50th anniversary star map for how older dates work.
- A place that was theirsThe lake they walked around, the porch, the ballpark, the cabin. Pick any night you remember there. The small street map puts a heart on the spot.
- Two posters as a pairThe night they were born and the night they passed, in the same design and size, hung side by side. Each one is ordered on its own.
What time of night is printed
Every poster shows the sky at about 9 in the evening, by the sun at that place, on the date you type. You cannot pick another hour. Here is what that means in practice:
- They passed in the eveningType that date. The stars on the poster are the ones above them that night.
- They passed after midnight, before dawnThe date on the certificate is the next day, so a poster of that date shows the evening that followed. If you want the night you sat with them, type the day before. The date printed under the stars is the date you type, so it will read the evening's date.
- They passed in the daytimeThe stars were there behind the blue sky. The poster shows them as they came out at nightfall that evening.
- How much does the hour matter?The sky turns about 15 degrees an hour. By midnight the same stars have moved about 45 degrees to the west and a few new ones have risen in the east. The bright stars overhead at 9 are mostly still up.
What is printed on it
The poster up top is our "Under the stars" design in Navy, made as an example for Walter, at Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, on March 8, 2025.
- The sky over that placeEvery star brighter than magnitude 5.8, with the constellation lines, as they stood that evening. Over Lake Harriet that night Capella was 60 degrees up in the west, Procyon 50 degrees up in the south and Orion was sinking into the southwest.
- A small street mapThe streets around the spot you type, with a heart on it.
- Their name and the dateOne line of up to 40 characters. "In loving memory of Walter" fits, and so do "Walter Hale, 1938 to 2025" or "Forever our Mom".
- Three designs"Under the stars" prints the words "Under the same stars" above the name. "Our star" circles the brightest star high overhead and names it, with the line "was shining right above us". "The whole night" fills the poster with the sky and prints only the name, the place and the date.
- Six colorsCream, Sage, Blush, Navy, Noir or Clay.
Which star was overhead that night
The "Our star" design circles the brightest named star at least 45 degrees up and prints its name. We ran the poster's own code for every day of the year over nine cities, from Seattle to Miami. The star depends mostly on the date, much less on the city:
| Date | Star | Constellation |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 22 to Mar 27 | Capella | Auriga, the Charioteer |
| Mar 28 to Apr 2 | Procyon | Canis Minor, the Little Dog |
| Apr 3 to Apr 22 | Pollux | Gemini, the Twins |
| Apr 23 to Jul 26 | Arcturus | Boötes, the Herdsman |
| Jul 27 to Oct 14 | Vega | Lyra, the Lyre |
| Oct 15 to Nov 17 | Deneb | Cygnus, the Swan |
| Nov 18 to Nov 21 | Mirfak | Perseus |
The date in each row is when most of the nine cities agree. The sky comes back to the same place on the same date every year, so the rows hold for any year, give or take a day.
Within a few days of each change-over, the star depends on how far south the place is, and Miami, Houston, Atlanta or Los Angeles can get Procyon, Altair or Mirfak instead. Miami also gets Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, from January 31 to March 2. Alaska and Hawaii differ more. The editor shows the exact star for your place and date before you pay.
The light you see from these stars is old. Light from Vega takes about 25 years to reach us, from Arcturus about 37, from Capella about 43. Deneb is so far away that its distance is still argued over, well beyond a thousand light-years.
The moon that night
The moon is not printed on the poster. If you want to know where it was, our free sky on any date page shows it for any place and night, along with the planets and the time it got fully dark. Over Lake Harriet on March 8, 2025 a waxing gibbous moon, 75 percent lit, stood high in the sky at 9 pm: see that night.
For a dog or a cat
A pet gets the same poster. You might pick the night they came home rather than the last one: the shelter, the breeder's town or the park where you first walked them.
The example here is our "Our star" design in Cream for Biscuit, an example dog, at Gas Works Park in Seattle on June 14, 2019. That evening Arcturus stood 61 degrees up in the south, so the poster circles it and reads "Arcturus was shining right above us". A nearly full moon was up as well.
The name line takes 40 characters, enough for "Biscuit, our good boy" or two pets' names.
Sending it to a family who lost someone
- Straight to their doorAt checkout, tick "This is a gift, ship it straight to them" and type their address. No prices go in the box.
- A note from youUp to 300 characters, printed on a card and packed with the poster (US orders).
- When it arrives4 to 8 business days in the US: 2 to 3 in the lab, 2 to 5 with the carrier. Weekends and US holidays are not counted. Outside the US we send the print without a frame, 10 to 30 business days. See shipping.
- Ready to hangA framed poster arrives assembled, with a hanger on the back. Without a frame the print ships rolled in a tube.
Sizes and prices
Each size and frame carries the same poster.
| Frame | 12 × 16 in | 18 × 24 in | 24 × 32 in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Print only | $39 | $49 | $69 |
| Espresso and gold | $139 | $179 | $279 |
| Black and gold | $139 | $179 | $259 |
| Black | $89 | $119 | $159 |
| White | $89 | $119 | $159 |
| Oak | $89 | $119 | $159 |
| Espresso | $99 | $129 | $169 |
| Driftwood gray | $129 | $169 | $269 |
| Distressed brown and gold | $109 | $149 | $229 |
Shipping is free in the US. Launch prices until Nov 30. You see the price of every size and frame in the editor before you pay.
A 12 × 16 sits well on a shelf or a dresser next to a photo. For a wall of its own, go bigger.
Returns
A poster with their name that arrived as ordered is not taken back. Damaged or printed wrong: email a photo within 30 days of delivery and we reprint or refund in full. See returns.
Questions
Which date should I use for a memorial star map?
The one that means the most to you: a birthday, the date they passed, a wedding date or a night at a place they loved. For a pet, the day they came home works well.
They passed after midnight. Which date do I type?
Then the night you spent with them belongs to the day before. Posters are drawn for the evening of the date you enter, so enter the earlier date. That earlier date is also the one printed under the stars.
Can I choose the exact time?
No. The hour is fixed at about 9 pm local sun time for every order. Between 9 and midnight the sky turns roughly 45 degrees, and most bright stars stay up.
Which star will be circled?
On the Our star design it is the brightest named star 45 degrees or more above the horizon. Over most of the US that is Capella from late November to late March, Arcturus from late April to late July and Vega from late July to mid October. The editor shows yours before you pay.
Can I make one for a dog or a cat?
Yes. Type their name in the names line, up to 40 characters, and the place and date that matter, often the day they came home.
Can it go straight to the family with a note?
Yes. Tick the gift box at checkout and enter the family's address. The box carries no prices, and for US addresses we print your note, 300 characters at most, on a card.
Can I check the name and date before I pay?
Yes. The poster in the editor is the file we print, and you can open it full screen. If you spot a typo after ordering, write to studio@meridianplate.com right away and we fix it until it goes to print.