Why does CyberSky draw maps with east and west switched?
The reversal of east and west on maps drawn by CyberSky is not a mistake; it’s normal for maps of the sky. When you look at a map of the Earth’s surface, your viewpoint is far above the planet and you’re looking down at the ground. If you want to see the sky, you need to turn around and face the other direction, which causes east and west to switch places. If you picture yourself outside looking south, east will be on your left and west will be on your right. This is exactly what you find on a map of the south horizon drawn by CyberSky; east is on the left side of the map, and west is on the right. This makes perfect sense, but we are so used to seeing maps of the Earth’s surface, with west on the left and east on the right, that maps of the sky drawn by CyberSky can initially be confusing. For a detailed explanation of the relationship between maps of the sky and your view of the real sky, see the topic “Understanding maps of the sky” in the program’s Help file.
