Reference landmarks are shown as blue diamonds and can be hidden with Reference objects. Alpha Centauri is represented as one unresolved system at approximately 4.37 light-years. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds use approximate central distances of 163,000 and 200,000 light-years. All three are too far south to rise from Bristol. Coordinates are approximate J2000 positions. Sources: SIMBAD, NASA/Hubble, ESO, and ESA/Hubble.

Photographs by Lee Pullen, taken from central Bristol. The map combines sky positions with estimated distances from Earth. Distances are uncertain, especially for nebulae.

The 3D map uses a linear distance scale. The slider is logarithmic to make navigation practical. Photos and markers are enlarged for visibility. Cosmic structures and animated effects are illustrative.

The Milky Way is a schematic model with a central bar and thickened bulge, a thin and thick stellar disc, four broad spiral-arm regions, and a short Local (Orion) Arm near the Sun. Its orientation and 26,000-light-year distance to the Galactic centre use the same coordinates as the target markers. Arm paths, star particles, and colours are illustrative, not a catalogue of measured stars. The far side of the Galaxy and the connections between arms remain uncertain. References: Shen & Zheng (2020), Xu, Hou & Wu (2018), and ESA/Gaia (2025).

The observable horizon is approximately 46 billion light-years from Earth. It is the limit of what we can observe, not a physical edge. Quasar distances account for cosmic expansion. The Moon and comet use approximate evening positions on their capture dates.

Data and references: NASA/JPL Horizons, SIMBAD, NASA/IPAC NED, NASA Chandra, and ESA/Hubble.