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# 1 - Concepts of Mapping the Sky

![Celestial Globe](/images/celestial-globe.svg){ width="400" align=right .off-glb }

Before diving into Starplot, it's important to understand a few concepts about mapping the sky (and cartography in general). If you're already familiar with things like right ascension, declination, zenith, map projections, etc then feel free to skip this section.

Here are links to some helpful resources for learning the basics of mapping the sky:

- [Celestial Coordinate Systems](https://lco.global/spacebook/sky/equatorial-coordinate-system/)
- [Map Projections](https://www.axismaps.com/guide/map-projections)
- [Some Map Projection Humor](https://xkcd.com/977/) 😆


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