Black Disc Star Map

The disc holds the same chart as every design: around 9,000 stars from the HYG catalog down to magnitude 6.5, all 88 constellations with their official line figures, computed for your coordinates and your minute, any date from 1900 to 2100. The edge of the disc is the horizon; inside it is the whole dome of the sky as it stood over your place at your moment.

On a pale ground the black disc reads as a single strong shape from across the room, and only up close does it resolve into stars and figures. That two-distance quality is what makes it work as both décor and record.

• Memorials. A name, a date and the sky, on a design with nothing to soften or decorate it. Restraint is the respect.
• Pet memorials. The night they came home, or the last ordinary day, in a form that belongs in a living room rather than a shrine.
• A new home. The sky above the address on the first night, on a poster that suits an empty wall and any frame.
• Any gift for a minimalist. Black Disc is the star map for a home with white walls and very little on them.

For the same design on a dark poster, Noir. For a blue disc instead of black, Navy Disc.

The ground is a warm off-white. The disc is a deep near-black with white stars, faint colour tints on the brightest, and cool grey constellation lines at a fine weight. The ring is a thin line. Title and details are set in dark ink.

Black Disc prints well at home on a heavy matte paper: the disc is the only area that needs ink coverage, and it is small enough for any good printer. Our framed print on semi-gloss paper in a black wood frame turns the piece into three concentric blacks, frame, disc, type, on a cream field, which is as calm as a framed print gets.

On the wall it suits white plaster, pale wood, linen and stone. It is the design for a hallway, a bedroom or a quiet corner, and it hangs well beside Paper and Navy Disc if you ever want a set.

• Always with us / the night you were born
• In loving memory / Thomas, 1948 to 2026
• Milo / the night you came home
• Our first night here / 12 Maple Street
• Here / 51.5074 N, 0.1278 W

For a memorial, many people keep only the name and the date and hide the place and coordinates. The design carries that well.

The digital map costs $25 and includes a PNG and a print-ready PDF at 300 DPI, sized for 12x16, 18x24 and 24x36 inch frames. Files arrive by email within minutes of purchase.

Framed prints are $69 for 12x16, $109 for 18x24 and $179 for 24x36. Each comes in a black wood frame with an acrylic front on semi-gloss paper, ready to hang. Shipping is free to the US and 40+ countries and usually takes 7 to 12 business days.

You can add your own photo to any map for $19. Every order is covered by a 14-day money-back guarantee, counted from purchase for digital files and from delivery for framed prints.